Oakland mayor names new police chief James Beere

OAKLAND, Calif. - Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee on Thursday named interim chief James Beere as the city's new police chief – a move cheered by civil rights attorneys, the Chamber of Commerce and the police union, who all noted he's a longtime Oaklander who understands the city and how to free the department from the longest federal police oversight in U.S. history.

What we know:

"I wanted someone who understands policing and understands Oakland," Lee said at a news conference. "James Beere is prepared to lead on Day 1." 

Beere said how honored he was to hold the position, and he promised to continue bringing crime rates down, implementing 21st century policing strategies. He will lead the department of roughly 620 officers. 

"We're moving forward in the city of Oakland," he said, adding that he felt very humbled to be Oakland's top cop. "It doesn't seem real." 

Lee made the formal announcement roughly an hour after KTVU first reported the news based on two sources. 

Beere’s appointment will be introduced to the City Council on July 17, which is when Beere's salary will be finalized. His predecessor made $370,000.  A swearing-in ceremony is planned for August. 

He is the 12th person to be named police chief or interim chief since 2013. 

New police chief named: James Beere

Beere has been with the Oakland Police Department since 1997, served as a US Marine, and has lived in Oakland for about three decades. 

"There's great continuity having an Oakland person," said civil rights attorney John Burris, who sued OPD in 2000 to enact police reforms following what's now nicknamed the Riders scandal. "He cares, and he will be very good for Oakland." 

Burris said that Beere also understands the Negotiated Settlement Agreement, which is the formal name of the federal oversight that Oakland has been under since a few years after he filed the lawsuit. 

And more importantly, Burris said, Beere knows how to police reforms and free the city from federal judicial oversight, which has been in place since 2003 – the longest in U.S. history. 

Beere has been acting as the interim chief since December 2025, after the last chief, Floyd Mitchell, resigned and then went to become police chief of Fremont. 

In March, Beere told KTVU that he was seeking the permanent police chief role.

KTVU was never aware of the other finalists' names. 

Last time, under recalled mayor Sheng Thao, the finalists' names were given to the public before the chief was picked.

This time, however, Oakland Police Commission Chair Ricardo Garcia Acosta said the commissioners were afraid qualified candidates would drop out or not apply if it was publicly known who they were, since many still work at other Bay Area departments. 

Federal oversight poised to end

Big picture view:

If all goes as planned, Beere will be the chief when more than 20 years of federal oversight is slated to end at a court date now scheduled for September. 

In a recent court filing, federal monitor Robert Warshaw singled out Lee’s leadership and OPD’s commitment – under Beere – in addressing the last three items out of 51 that remained incomplete on a mandatory police reform list.

Warshaw credited Lee for personally "immersing herself" in this process of ending the oversight as a key to success, and the city touted Beere for making constitutional policing a longstanding commitment.

For example, the city continues to hold its court-ordered, biweekly meetings to review significant internal investigations. The meetings are attended by the mayor’s office, city administration, police commission leadership, city attorney’s office, and department leadership. The city will keep using these tools to maintain a "fair disciplinary system and strive for continuous improvement."

In an interview, Beere called Warshaw one of his mentors, and noted that he is likely chief because he has been at OPD for so long and knows how all the various city departments work and who leads them. 

"For me personally, I probably wouldn't be here…had it not been for the Negotiated Settlement Agreement...," Beere said, referring to the oversight settlement. "Because it made the police department have a mentoring program. You need to be involved. You have to be on the ground. You have to show up to every critical incident."   

Beere's bio

Beere has served in many roles throughout his career, from the human trafficking unit to intelligence. 

He graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in business management from Golden Gate University and also holds an associate of science degree in administration of justice from the College of San Mateo.

Union response

Barbara Leslie, president and CEO of the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Oakland Police Officers Association President Huy Nguyen both called Beere an excellent choice/

"Chief Beere is a proven leader who knows this department, understands this city, and has earned the respect of the rank and file men and women who serve Oakland every day," Nguyen said. "At a time when Oakland desperately needs stability, more police officers, increased response times and a renewed focus on reducing violent crime to serve our community and neighborhoods. Chief Beere brings the experience, discipline, and steady leadership necessary to move the Oakland Police Department forward." 

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