OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) – The Oakland Police Department lost its third police chief in eight days as it struggles with allegations that a number of officers had sex with a teenage prostitute and exchanged racist text messages.
Mayor Libby Schaaf said acting Police Chief Paul Figueroa was on the job for two days before stepping down on Friday but said his decision was not connected to the two scandals.
However, she denounced the department’s “toxic, macho culture” and vowed to root out “the bad apples.”
“As the mayor of Oakland, I’m here to run a police department, not a frat house,” Schaaf said at a news conference Friday evening.
Schaaf said she will not immediately appoint an acting or interim chief. Instead, the command staff will report to City Administrator Sabrina Landreth, who will be responsible for personnel and disciplinary decisions.