Former Oakland police Chief LeRonne Armstrong has sued the city of Oakland and Mayor Sheng Thao, alleging wrongful termination.
The suit claims the mayor's firing of Armstrong in February 2023 was in retaliation for his speaking out about misconduct by Robert Warshaw, the federal monitor overseeing the Oakland Police Department.
Armstrong’s termination, according to the suit, violated both California law and Armstrong’s First Amendment rights.
The city hasn't named a permanent police chief since Armstrong was terminated.
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The City Attorney's Office on Wednesday released a statement in response to news of the lawsuit.
"Former Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong filed a government claim on July 17, 2023, challenging this termination. This claim is a prerequisite to filing a lawsuit against the city. The City denied the claim on August 29, 2023, triggering a deadline for him to file a lawsuit. We have not yet been served with the complaint."
Oakland’s police department has been under federal oversight since 2003 after a rookie officer came forward to report abuse of power by a group of officers known as the Oakland “Riders.” The case resulted in the department being required to enact more than four dozen reform measures and report its progress to an outside monitor and a federal judge.
The mayor said in firing Armstrong last February that she had lost confidence in the police chief after he and the department failed to properly investigate and discipline a sergeant who was involved in a hit-and-run with his patrol car and who, in a separate incident, fired his service weapon inside an elevator at police headquarters.
In his complaint, Armstrong says the department had made great strides and was on track to regain its independence when the federal monitor said there were problems with police leadership and ordered the outside investigation into the sergeant. Armstrong says the monitor and his team “transformed routine instances of lower-level misconduct into a complete indictment” of the department and chief.
Armstrong said in his complaint that the mayor, who was newly elected at the time, was intimidated by the oversight monitor and buckled to pressure.
Armstrong is represented by attorneys William J. Edelman of Delahunty & Edelman LLP, and Billie D. Wenter of Boyer Wenter LLP.
