Breaking news: San Leandro police chief shown the door, interim chief named
City's press release does not directly acknowledge Police Chief Abdul Pridgen was fired, only states his last day on the job
—San Leandro Police Chief Abdul Pridgen has been relieved of his duties, the city announced on Wednesday night.
—The move further clouds a police chief controversy that has been simmering in San Leandro since last September when Pridgen was place on paid administrative leave for unknown reasons.
—The move by San Leandro City Manager Fran Robustelli follows a closed session council meeting on Tuesday night that included an agenda item referencing “existing settlement negotiations.”
—A statement released by the city on Wednesday night makes no specific mention of whether Pridgen was fired. it simply refers to Pridgen’s last day as police chief as being Tuesday.
—Pridgen was hired in September 2021 and received a contract extension last year.
—In addition, the city named Angela Averiett as interim police chief. Averiett is the current police chief in Los Altos. Curiously, she is trading a permanent position in Los Altos for an interim job in San Leandro.
—Robustelli said the city will soon begin a search for a permanent police chief.
—Kevin Hart, the former Dublin councilmember, who has served as interim chief since last September, will depart in April, the city announced. His time in San Leandro was limited to due his classification as a retired annuitant.
—There have been persistent rumors that the city and Pridgen were negotiating a settlement to end his employment. If so, there are further clues in the city press release that an amicable solution was not reached.
—“The City is prohibited by law from releasing any information about public safety personnel, the length of time needed to address these matters, reasons for Mr. Pridgen’s departure, and the full results of the investigation,” Robustelli said.
—The latter statement belies the fact the city already possesses an executive summary of the independent investigation into allegations against Pridgen, but has resisted releasing the information to the public.
