Police Leadership Crisis — A Chief Charged with Hit-and-Run

active• sanleandro

San Leandro's public safety leadership is in turmoil at one of the worst possible moments for a city that lists public safety as a top Council priority. San Leandro appointed former Sausalito police chief Joseph Kreins as interim police chief while Chief Angela Averiett remains on administrative leave and awaits arraignment on a misdemeanor hit-and-run charge filed by the Alameda County District Attorney. The city's press release on May 13, 2026 placed Averiett on leave citing "allegations regarding department policy violations" — the hit-and-run charge emerging shortly after. The crisis is compounding an already difficult governance period: the city previously settled litigation related to former City Manager Fran Robustelli, and two councilmembers were found to have interfered with that city manager's work in a 2024 investigation. San Leandro's capacity to rebuild public trust in both its police department and City Hall simultaneously — while managing a fiscal deficit and delivering on major development ambitions — is being severely tested.

Related cause: Police accountability

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