Oakland Police Commission unveils new list of police chief candidates

Written by Henry Lee, Aja Seldon and KTVU staff

OAKLAND, Calif. (FOX-35)- The Oakland Police Commission unveiled a new slate of candidates for the city's next police chief on Tuesday after Mayor Sheng Thao rejected the commission's initial picks.

Returning to the list is former San Leandro Police Chief Abdul Pridgen, who left the department in September after allegations he violated department policy. 

Pridgen was also included in the commission's first lineup in December. He has declined an interview with KTVU. 

Other candidates who did make the list include former Lubbock Police Chief Floyd Mitchell, who resigned in September 2023 after dispatchers in his department were accused of not answering 911 calls. He had been with the department for four years.

Cincinnati Assistant Police Chief Lisa Davis was also put on the list. She has over 30 years of service with the department, but according to news reports, was passed over multiple times for police chief. 

The fourth candidate on the list is Louis Molina, New York City's former Commissioner of the Department of Correction and current Assistant Deputy Mayor of Public Safety. In a report from the New York Times, Molina was criticized for his "failure" to improve conditions at the city's jails.

Civil Rights attorney Jim Chanin said all the candidates seemed to have concerning issues, but Pridgen would especially be a hard sell. 

"Unless Chief Pridgen has been cleared of his charges in this case, it's going to be very difficult to see why the commission put Pridgen up there when the mayor has already rejected him." Chanin said.