Oakland School Police Chief Pete Sarna announced Wednesday he is retiring from the force effective immediately.
The move follows a recent controversy involving Sarna and the "n" word. A white officer filed a complaint against Sarna for what is described as a racist rant of a fellow officer during a car ride home from a day of golf.
Sarna, who is white, allegedly let loose using several racist epithets against two of his sergeants who were in the car. One was black. The other was white. A third officer was also in the car as the designated driver.
Among other things, Sarna allegedly told the African American sergeant that "the only good n- is a dead n- and they should hang you in the town square to prevent any other n- from coming in the area."
Sarna was put on paid administrative leave following the complaint.
In the release announcing his departure, the school district said, "The decision brings Sarna’s two-year tenure with OUSD to an end. It also closes the investigation that was launched August 4 after a formal complaint was filed against Sarna."
The recent incident is not the first time Sarna has been in the news. In 2007, he resigned from the California Department of Justice after being cited in a DUI crash involving a state-owned vehicle.
