A top Chicago police official tasked with reforming the department is leaving to become the new top cop in Oakland, California, sources tell NBC 5’s Bay Area affiliate station.
Anne Kirkpatrick’s most recent position was leading an organizational development within the Chicago Police Department. She will now become the first woman police chief in the city of Oakland’s history, according to NBC Bay Area.
The Chicago Police Department has yet to confirm the move, but news of Kirkpatrick’s departure comes on the same day that Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Supt. Eddie Johnson plan to announce they are promoting 277 Chicago officers to detectives and supervisors as part of the city’s plan to grow the police force by 1,000 sworn officers.
Top CPD official chosen to be Oakland's new police chief. @LaurenPettyNBC reports https://t.co/XQqGUsrSIJ pic.twitter.com/1Xn5Nt4U9r
— NBC Chicago (@nbcchicago) January 4, 2017
Although she was among the finalists for the position, Kirkpatrick was not selected for the superintendent position in Chicago when Garry McCarthy left. Instead, she was appointed the chief of the bureau of professional standards by his successor Eddie Johnson.
Since moving to Chicago six months ago, the former Spokane, Washington police chief’s job has been to oversee reforms and be the main liaison for the Justice Department as they investigate the Chicago Police Department’s use of force policies as part of the Laquan McDonald fallout.
In her six months in Chicago, Kirkpatrick worked on a new draft of the department’s use-of-force policy that has been open to public review in recent months.
