San Leandro appoints interim top cop amid hit-and-run charge of current chief

SAN LEANDRO, Calif. - The San Leandro city manager announced that she's appointed an interim police chief while the current chief, Angela Averiett, is on leave pending a misdemeanor hit-and-run charge filed against her by the Alameda County District Attorney.

Interim chief 

What we know:

City Manager Janelle T. Cameron named Joseph Kreins as interim chief effective Monday.

In a statement, Cameron said Kreins brings more than 45 years of public safety and municipal government experience to the role, where he has served as police chief for Sausalito, Novato, and Vallejo. He was also the assistant city manager for Sausalito. 

"His commitment to accountability, community engagement, and organizational excellence aligns with the values of our organization and the expectations of our community," Cameron said in a statement. 

Hit-and-run charge

The backstory:

Averiett was put on leave in mid-May after the DA charged her with a misdemeanor hit-and-run charge stemming from an ABC 7 investigation. 

The charge stemmed from what happened on May 19, 2025, when the California Highway Patrol concluded that Averiett was at fault for clipping the side mirror of a Chevrolet driven by Daffani Ryan of Modesto on Interstate Highway 580 south of San Ramon Road near Dublin.

The CHP report noted that Averiett's Jeep was driving faster than Ryan's and veered from the center median, making an "unsafe turning movement" and her passenger side mirror clipped the driver's side mirror on Ryan's Chevrolet.

But even so, the CHP decided not to cite the chief after she told officers she didn't realize she had hit anything as she was experiencing chest pain – which she reiterated at a news conference on the same day she was put on leave. 

Averiett is to be arraigned at 9 a.m. Thursday in the East County Hall of Justice in Dublin.

San Leandro