San Leandro city leaders named a new interim police chief this week, a day after the embattled head of the city’s police department departed after less than three years on the job.
The city announced Wednesday that Los Altos police Chief Angela Averiett will lead the San Leandro Police Department on an interim basis beginning in late April. The move makes her the third person to serve as the city’s top cop in six months amid turmoil at the highest levels of the department.
The move came after the city said Chief Abdul Pridgen‘s tenure ended Tuesday — marking an unceremonious end to a stint as chief that took a sour turn in September, when city leaders placed him on paid administrative leave amid allegations that he violated internal policies. No details were ever released on the nature of the alleged misconduct.
The city’s announcement this week gave no further details about Pridgen’s departure, including whether he resigned or was fired.
In a statement, City Manager Fran Robustelli hailed Averiett’s two decades of law enforcement experience in the Bay Area, which also includes a stint as deputy chief of the Bay Area Rapid Transit District.
“As we begin the search for our next permanent chief, we will aggressively continue our work toward making San Leandro a safe, inclusive and welcoming community,” Robustelli’s statement said.
Pridgen has been considered a rising star among the Bay Area’s law enforcement community when he was hired in summer 2021. He has previously served as chief of Seaside’s police department, following a 26-year career at the police department in Fort Worth, Texas.
Despite being on leave, Pridgen also appeared to vying for another job in the Bay Area — that of Oakland Police Department’s chief. He was among the three candidates recommended by the Oakland Police Commission for the position, which has been vacant since early 2023.
All three candidates — including fired Oakland police Chief LeRonne Armstrong and an assistant chief out of Tucson, Ariz. — were later rejected by Mayor Sheng Thao, leaving the city to start its search from scratch.
In announcing Averiett’s pending arrival, San Leandro city officials also said that the police department’s current interim chief, Kevin Hart, would step down from the role in April “due to restrictions related to his retired annuitant status.”
As a retiree, Hart is limited in how many hours he can work. He earlier retired from the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office after a 35-year law enforcement career that also included serving as chief of the state Department of Hospitals and in the East Bay enclave of Kensington.