An independent investigation conducted by a San Francisco law firm found that Armstrong, a West Oakland native who joined the department as an officer 24 years ago, didn’t review evidence from the two cases before closing the investigations, violating department rules.
The two misconduct cases involves the same Oakland sergeant and date back to 2021 and 2022. The first case relates to the sergeant’s involvement in a hit-and-run in San Francisco with another department officer, while the other concerns the officer firing his gun in an elevator at the department’s headquarters.
According to the law firm investigating the two incidents, Armstrong failed “to hold his subordinate officers to account” and “engage effectively in the review of the incident,” allowing the sergeant involved in the incidents “to escape responsibility for serious misconduct.”
It concluded that Armstrong, as the chief of police, “is ultimately responsible for the outcome of internal affairs investigations and for the imposition of discipline.”
Armstrong, a graduate of McClymond’s High School and California State University who joined the Oakland Police Department from the Alameda County Probation Department in 1999 and went on to have a brilliant career within the department, was appointed chief by former Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf in 2021.
He was brought in to replace his predecessor, Anne Kirkpatrick, who was fired by the Police Commission and Schaaf after only three years in the job, and he’s one of 11 police chiefs the Oakland Police Department has had in the past 21 years.
On Thursday, Armstrong was removed from the role by Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and City Administrator Ed Reiskin over “dereliction of duty” following the damning report.
In a statement published on the same day, the two officials said the decision to put Armstrong on leave “was not taken lightly.” The move, which followed the release of the report conducted by an independent San Francisco law firm, was justified as being “critical for the safety of our community that we build trust and confidence between the Department and the public.”
“We must have transparency and accountability to move forward as a safer and stronger Oakland,” Thao and Reiskin wrote.
Armstrong was placed on administrative leave as the Oakland Police Department was preparing to plead its case for ending a 20-year period of federal oversight.
It isn’t clear what awaits Armstrong in the future, but Oakland’s mayor, city administrator and Police Commission have the power to remove him from the role of police chief.
Newsweek has reached out to the Oakland Police Department for comment.
