Oakland mayor names new police chief James Beere

OAKLAND, Calif. - Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee on Thursday will name interim chief James Beere as the city's new police chief.

"Public safety and justice are strongest when they advance together, and today’s appointment is about more than selecting a police chief -- it is about renewing our commitment to the people of Oakland," Lee said. "Our city has experienced too much turnover in police leadership over the years, and Oakland deserves stability. James Beere embraces meaningful civilian oversight and constitutional policing, values collaboration with our neighborhoods, businesses, and faith leaders, and is fully prepared to lead on day one."

In a joint statement, Beere thanked the mayor for bringing departments together to implement a "collaborative approach" to help drive down crime rates. 

"Together, we will continue to implement 21st-century policing strategies, leverage modern technology, and bring long-term stability and safety to our city," Beere said. 

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

Beere’s appointment will be formally introduced to the City Council on July 17, with a swearing-in ceremony to follow.

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 the longest police oversight in U.S. history. 

Lee would only say that she would be making an "important public safety announcement" at 9 a.m. at City Hall. 

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 is seeking the permanent police chief role.

KTVU is not aware of the other finalists' names. 

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."

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.