Fremont's new police chief to focus on reducing property crime, deadly crashes
Fremont's new Police Chief Floyd Mitchell is six weeks into the job after getting sworn in last Thursday. Mitchell was the Chief of Police in Oakland from May 2024 until December 2025, when he resigned a year and eight months into the job.
"My city? I love Fremont. I'm excited," said Angela, a long-time resident.
Angela said she doesn't feel as safe as she did in the past in busy shopping centers like the Fremont Hub, where she saw a suspected shoplifter getting arrested outside Target.
"I think it's good for him to be here because crime has increased in Fremont, and if he can deal with Oakland, he can definitely deal with what's going on here in Fremont," she said.
Despite Mitchell's relatively short tenure in Fremont, he says he's already impressed with what he sees.
"A very welcoming community. A very engaged community, so I do appreciate that," he said.
Mitchell was hired there after an extensive nationwide search, and when he first came to the town, he described himself as a "fixer" and someone who likes being tested and reforming organizations. He left the high-profile job in December 2025 without ever explaining why he quit.
"I do believe I did a very good job there, but when I look at how I wanted my career to progress, I just felt it was better for me to look in another direction," said Mitchell.
"Why is that?" asked CBS Bay Area's Katie Nielsen.
"Because I just wanted to look in another direction," said Mitchell.
Mitchell answered without providing any additional explanation. He would not say whether tensions with Oakland's police commission, city leadership, or the department's federal oversight played a role in his decision.
"At that point in time in my career, I just didn't feel it was good for me and this opportunity presented itself, so I chose to move on," said Mitchell.
He says his main priority now is to get to know Fremont, the residents and community members, as well as officers within the department and city leaders. Mitchell said while he's doing that, his focus is on reducing property crime, decreasing fatal traffic crashes through more enforcement, and taking a regional approach to the city's issues with homelessness.
"Each community is unique in its own way in regard to what is the biggest issue facing that particular community," said Mitchell.
It's interesting to note that according to WalletHub, Fremont is one of the "Happiest Cities in the Country" as well as one of the safest of its size.
