Oakland’s recently departed police chief, Floyd Mitchell, is taking over the top cop job at the city of Fremont, but it is unclear when he will actually get to work.

Mitchell was selected following a national search — led by City Manager Karena Shackelford — to replace Fremont’s last chief, Sean Washington.

Washington announced his retirement in June and has been serving as interim chief ever since.

“We look forward to sharing more information in a formal press release, following the completion of the hiring process,” Fremont spokesperson Geneva Bosques said in an email Friday.

Mitchell, the former police chief in Lubbock, Texas, left Oakland on Dec. 5 after only about 20 months on the job. He hasn’t given a reason for his departure.

Mitchell was hired as Oakland’s chief after then-mayor Sheng Thao fired LeRonne Armstrong in early 2023, after which the department went a year without a permanent replacement. Armstrong also only held the job for about two years.

Since 2017, Oakland has had six different chiefs or interim chiefs.

Currently, the city’s Police Commission, a civilian oversight board, is working with City Administrator Jestin Johnson to find a recruiting firm, which will then help track down candidates to replace Oakland’s current interim chief, James Beere.

The commission will then select three candidates to present to Mayor Barbara Lee, who can choose one to hire or reject the entire slate.

The city hasn’t committed publicly to a timeline to replace Beere.

Kiley Russell writes primarily for Local News Matters on issues related to equity and the environment. A Bay Area native, he has lived most of his life in Oakland. He studied journalism at San Francisco State University, worked for the Associated Press and the former Contra Costa Times, among other outlets. He has covered everything from state legislatures, local governments, federal and state courts, crime, growth and development, political campaigns of various stripes, wildfires and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.