Oakland Police Commission hosts first meeting since chief's resignation announcement

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- Heated moments during Thursday's Oakland Police Commission meeting. Although not on the agenda, both commissioners and the public commented on OPD Chief Floyd Mitchell's resignation announcement this week.

Mitchell is the 11th police chief to lead OPD in the past 15 years.

At the meeting, some in attendance said they believe the commission played a role in Mitchell's decision to leave.

"It's multi factorial but I think our oversight mechanisms, which include the police commission, the privacy commission, the Measure NN commission, as well as the negotiated settlement agreement, all those. No other place has this many hurdles the police department has to go through," said Rajni Mandal.

RELATED: Oakland Police Chief Floyd Mitchell announces he's stepping down

Mandal has been attending police commission meetings for the past few years.

She worries the revolving door of police chiefs is not only bad for the city but also for the morale of the police department.

"And that leads to decreased case clearance and crime solving on the street. It has a downstream effect," Mandal said.

Commission chair Ricardo Garcia-Acosta pushed back on the claims of Mandal and others who shared similar views.

Garcia-Acosta says the commission has had a good relationship with Chief Mitchell and that the two have worked together to enact better policies.

TIMELINE: Oakland has had 11 different police chiefs in 15 years

"We're not going to accept just slander out here and attacking our commissioners when we're doing the best job that we can in moving the city forward," said Garcia-Acosta.

The commission says it currently has no timeline of when the search for a new chief will begin.

They just say they're determined to find the best person for the job.

"With the deep love we all have for our city, we hope that the next chief commits long-term and rolls up their sleeves and gets down with us to make the city a better place," said Garcia-Acosta.

Chief Mitchell is expected to stay on the job until early December.