Oakland's former police chief spoke out Friday after the city's newly-elected mayor explained why she decided to fire him.
"I'd like to clearly say that I was wrongly terminated for standing up for the city of Oakland. As the police chief I did my job and I believe I did it well," he said. "I committed no misconduct, I followed all relevant policies and procedures and I delivered on my promise from day one when I took this job -- to reform his police department."
Mayor Sheng Thao in an interview with NBC Bay Area stood behind her decision to remove former Oakland police Chief LeRonne Armstrong from the city without cause.
"I no longer have the confidence that he can continue to do what is needed to reform the Oakland Police Department and furthermore move the city out from under the federal oversight," Thao said.
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Armstrong has been on administrative leave since last month. Darren Allison will continue to lead the Oakland Police Department as acting chief of police.
The firing stems from an independent report that found Armstrong mishandled cases of officer misconduct including a non-injury hit-and-run involving a sergeant who was in a patrol car at the time.
“My termination was about federal monitor Robert Warshaw, and the mayor’s failure to fight for the Oakland community,” he said.
Armstrong claims his termination was not based on facts, but instead retaliation for speaking out against federal monitor Robert Warshaw.
He claims the man who is tasked with helping the department move forward is actually pulling them back.
“My termination was about federal monitor Robert Warshaw, and the mayor’s failure to fight for the Oakland community,” said Armstrong. “It’s in the best interest of his pocketbook rather than the Oakland community. Every error at the police department is considered a scandal that reaches all the way to the top of the organization consistently.”
Armstrong argues Warshaw sensationalized reports that accuse the ousted chief of not properly investigating a sergeant after a hit-and-run.
He is also blaming the mayor for not allowing the police commission to come to their own conclusion before dismissing him.
“I believe that it takes courage to stand up to a bully. It takes courage to move this city forward. She took the easy route. She accepted the monitor’s conclusion without weighing the evidence,” said Armstrong.
Two OPD lieutenants were also placed on administrative leave in connection with the independent investigative report that the mayor cited in firing the chief.
Amstrong argues that he brought OPD into almost complete compliance with federal mandates - and believes the mayor's actions put that in jeopardy.
Adding that calls from the community to reinstate him, should prove his impact in the city.
“The voice of Oakland speaks loud and it will not be silenced by this monitor,” said Armstrong.
Armstrong this week released a statement saying he is continuing to evaluate legal options as he looks to preserve his rights and reputation.
Read his full statement below:
I want to thank the community for its strong showing of support in the wake of the Mayor’s decision to terminate me as Chief. It has truly been an honor and privilege to serve this City for more than two decades.
As a native of Oakland, I know how special this city is. It means the world to me that I have earned the trust and respect of so many leaders and members of this community. I appreciate your efforts to champion my cause and I thank you for trying to help the Mayor understand that the best path forward for the City was with me remaining as Chief.
I genuinely appreciate all of the encouraging messages and phone calls I have received. I cannot possibly acknowledge them all individually. But please know I have heard and received your messages of support. I want to specially thank a few people. I’d like to thank Mayor Libby Schaaf and the Oakland Police Commission for trusting me to lead OPD during her tenure. I’d also like to thank the Oakland Chapter of the NAACP, the Oakland spiritual community, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, the API community and other neighborhood and community leaders who showed up at the rallies for their tremendous and vocal support over the past month. I want to thank all the people who came today to city hall to stand with me, and with Oakland, to make our city, our police force, and our community a better place.
I want to show my special appreciation and admiration for the hardworking women and men of the Oakland Police Department. Thank you for all you do to keep the City of Oakland safe. You truly are the hardest working law enforcement professionals in America.
I have been getting a lot of questions about my next steps. Please know that I continue to believe that my termination was the result of a fundamentally flawed process that resulted in unfair, inaccurate conclusions about me. I am continuing to evaluate my legal options to preserve my rights and my hard-earned reputation.
