Oakland to pay ousted police chief Anne Kirkpatrick $1.5M

OAKLAND, Calif. - The City of Oakland agreed to pay former police chief Anne Kirkpatrick $1.5 million after a federal jury ruled in her favor that she was wrongfully terminated in 2020. 

The payout includes $337,675 in severance that was awarded to her in May and $250,000 in litigation costs.

"I feel vindicated by the jury's conclusion that I was fired in retaliation for blowing the whistle on wrongdoing at the Oakland Police Commission," Kirkpatrick said in a statement. "I hope that the agreement in my favor is a signal to all who are witnesses to misconduct, especially those in law enforcement: do not stay silent. Our system depends on people who will do the right thing, even when it is the hard thing. I look forward to putting this chapter behind me and to continuing my career in public service."

Kirkpatrick alleged that she was fired in retaliation for accusing some Oakland Police Commissioners of abusing their power and authority. 

The former police head alleged that she exposed illegal demands that commissioners made of the police department for personal gain, a commissioner making derogatory remarks publicly toward a Black public defender and the commission directing police staff inappropriately.

Kirkpatrick also accused commissioners of publicly berating and bullying police staff at hearings.