Thursday Oakland’s civilian Police Commission unanimously recommended that Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick be terminated and Mayor Libby Schaaf approved.

Read more in the SF Chronicle: Oakland Police Commission fires Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick.

Voter-passed 2016 Measure LL allows 5 members of the volunteer police oversight commission to dismiss the police chief with the consent of the mayor. Kirkpatrick had been police chief for 3 years, being hired in 2017 in the wake of a scandal where dozens of cops were accused of having sexual relations with an under-aged prostitute. Since Kirkpatrick is being discharged “without good cause” she is entitled to a severance package valued at close to $300,000.

Mayor Schaaf said that it was her duty as mayor to recognize the role and authority of the Police Commission and also recognize when the trust between the commission and the police chief has become irrevocably broken. Police Commission Chairperson Regina Jackson says the new chief should redress the OPD’s excessive use of force against community members, and move the force towards compliance with the with the consent decree and court-ordered monitoring imposed after the 2003 Riders Scandal. The commission is demanding a more diverse and respectful OPD that becomes a model of Constitutional policing and justice. Rashidah Grinage and members of the Coalition for Police Accountability have been calling for Kirkpatrick to be terminated for almost a year. Grinage thanked the commission for its action.