One-time Oakland police chief leading New Orleans’ law enforcement response to deadly truck attack

The woman overseeing the New Orleans Police Department’s response to an attack early Wednesday morning that left at least 15 people dead on the city’s renowned Bourbon Street is a well-known face in the East Bay.

Anne Kirkpatrick, who took over as New Orleans’ superintendent of police in fall 2023, previously served as Oakland’s police chief for three years beginning in February 2017.

Kirkpatrick’s tenure in the city ended in controversy after she was initially fired without cause in February 2020 by the Oakland Police Commission and former Mayor Libby Schaaf. The move led Kirkpatrick to file a lawsuit claiming, in part, that she was wrongfully terminated as retaliation for blowing the whistle on some commission members’ alleged conduct.

In June 2022, Kirkpatrick reached a $1.5 million settlement with the city, which did not admit any liability or wrongdoing.

The Oakland Police Department is currently led by Chief Floyd Mitchell, who took over in May. He’s at least the 12th person since 2009 to lead the Oakland Police Department, with Kirkpatrick being among the longest-tenured chiefs during that time.