Crime & Safety
San Leandro Permanently Parts Ways With Police Chief Abdul Pridgen
A change in the Interim Chief position was also announced.
SAN LEANDRO, CA — San Leandro Police Chief Abdul Pridgen, who has been on paid leave since last September while an investigation was conducted into allegations that he violated department policies, is no longer employed by the City of San Leandro, the City Manager's Office announced in a press release emailed at 7 p.m. Wednesday evening.
It included a statement from City Manager Fran Robustelli, "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."
Pridgen’s last day of employment was Tuesday.
Kevin Hart has been serving as Interim Police Chief and will continue in his role until late April when he will leave because of restrictions related to his retired annuitant status.
When Hart leaves, he will be replaced by Angela Averiett who will act as San Leandro’s Interim Police Chief until a permanent successor is found. Averiett is currently the Police Chief for Los Altos. She has more than two decades of law enforcement experience including with the Hayward Police Department and the Bay Area Rapid Transit District, where she served as deputy chief.
While the two interim chiefs are in place, Robustelli will begin the process of naming the next permanent chief. The process will include a collaboration with the Police Review Board and the community.
"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 said. "The collaboration between SLATE (San Leandro Accountability, Transparency, and Equity) and the City to implement the Community Police Review Board and the Independent Police Auditor model was an instrumental step forward for the City." She further stated, "Over the last six months, we have successfully identified 17 police officer candidates who are currently in the background process.”
Robustelli praised incoming Interim Chief Averiett, "As part of our ongoing commitment to advancing reform, I am pleased to announce the appointment of Angela Averiett, the current Police Chief in Los Altos, as the interim Police Chief for San Leandro."
"Chief Averiett is driven by a passion for serving a culturally rich and diverse community and is committed to challenging the status quo, both for herself and her organization. Notably, her affiliation with Simon Sinek’s The Curve serves as an inspiration for the City’s commitment to continue the advancement of police reform. The Curve gives forward-thinking leaders in policing the most current and creative ideas about leadership and the resources to implement them so they can more effectively modernize their cultures from the inside-out."
The City expressed its appreciation to Chief Hart for his leadership during the past several months.
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