Fremont’s New Police Chief Outlines Plan

Fremont Police Chief Floyd Mitchell says his early agenda is straightforward: cut property crime, reduce deadly crashes and show residents more real-time data about where crime is rising. (ktvu.com) (aol.com) Mitchell, six weeks into the job, said he has been meeting command staff, supervisors and City Council members while hearing repeated complaints about car thefts and reckless driving. (ktvu.com) He said the department will use public-facing crime information to explain why officers are deployed to particular neighborhoods when thefts or other spikes appear. (aol.com) On traffic, Mitchell said he wants a larger enforcement presence as Fremont tries to bring down fatal crashes tied in recent years to reckless driving and collisions involving unhoused people. (ktvu.com) (fremont.gov) City traffic data says Fremont recorded 87 fatal crash incidents from 2014 through 2025, and 2025 traffic enforcement stops and citations rose 134% from 2024 while fatalities fell 42%, from 12 to seven. (fremont.gov) Mitchell also said homelessness cannot be handled by Fremont alone and described the issue as regional, pointing to the need for coordination beyond city limits. (ktvu.com) The chief arrived in Fremont on March 3, when City Manager Karena Shackelford announced his appointment after a nationwide search. Mitchell previously led the Oakland Police Department and spent 25 years with the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department. (patch.com) His priorities partly overlap with Fremont Police’s existing 2024-2027 strategic plan, which already called for crime reduction, staffing support, operational accountability and more community engagement. (patch.com) For now, Mitchell is trying to put a new face on an old promise in Fremont policing: more visible enforcement, more data and a clearer explanation of why officers are where they are. (aol.com)