Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong was placed on paid administrative leave Thursday after a report emerged detailing his mishandling of two departmental investigations.
“The decision was not taken lightly, but we believe that it is critical for the safety of our community that we build trust and confidence between the Department and the public,” a joint statement from Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and City Administrator Edward Reiskin said. “We must have transparency and accountability to move forward as a safer and stronger Oakland.”
Their decision was based on the findings of an independent investigation initiated by the city of Oakland over two incidents that occurred the previous year involving the same Oakland police officer.
BREAKING: Oakland’s police chief was put on administrative leave Thursday, just one day after a scathing report pointed fingers at him for mishandling two department investigations, KTVU has learned. https://t.co/60ivU6RD9u
— KTVU (@KTVU) January 20, 2023
In March of 2021, the police officer in question was driving an Oakland Police Department vehicle inside a San Francisco parking garage when it collided with a parked vehicle, ripping off its bumper, the report detailed. Instead of getting out of the vehicle and reporting the incident, the officer drove away and did not report the incident to the department. The department only found out about the hit-and-run because it received a notice for an insurance claim two months later, the report stated.
After a lengthy investigation by the Internal Affairs Department, it was discovered the not only had the officer not followed correct procedure in reporting the collision, but that the officer was also involved in a non-disclosed romantic relationship with the police officer who was riding as a passenger at the time of the collision, according to the report.
During this investigation, it became apparent that the officer in question was also involved in another unreported incident in April 2021 that involved the discharging of a weapon inside a freight elevator at the Police Administration Building, the report stated.
An independent investigation found that in each of these incidents “multiple deficiencies in process and policy that undermined the full and complete discovery of the facts.” While investigators surmised that some of those failures stemmed from “gaps” in the procedures, others occurred because existing policies and procedures weren’t followed, the report detailed.
“Most disturbingly, some of the defects [appeared] to stem from a failure of leadership and a lack of commitment to hold members of the Oakland Police Department accountable for violations of its own rules,” the report read. (RELATED: ‘Let Us Go’: Tampa Police Chief Resigns After Bodycam Caught Her Flashing Badge At Traffic Stop)
Thao and Reiskin revealed that further instances of misconduct are forthcoming as the investigation continues to unfold. The two also revealed that with Armstrong on administrative leave, Assistant Chief Darren Allison will serve in the capacity of Acting Chief of the Oakland Police Department.
The Oakland Police Commission issued a statement maintaining that Armstrong’s administrative leave was “not a disciplinary action” adding that they are “bound to confidentiality on all personnel matters,” KTVU reported.