New Police Chief Outlines Crime Plans

Fremont Police Chief Floyd Mitchell said he is expanding traffic enforcement and data-driven patrols as he sets priorities in his first weeks on the job. (abc7news.com) Mitchell told ABC7 that traffic safety “jumps off the page” in Fremont’s data, with seven traffic-related fatalities in 2025 and five deaths already recorded in 2026. He said he has expanded the traffic unit and wants patrol officers to focus more heavily on traffic violators. (abc7news.com) He also said Fremont continues to deal with property crime, some violent crime and organized retail theft, even though the city’s overall crime rates remain comparatively low for its size. Mitchell said deployments will follow the data, sending officers to the neighborhoods or suspects that produce the biggest spikes. (abc7news.com) The city formally announced Mitchell’s hiring on March 3, 2026, after a nationwide search, and said he started work on March 9. Fremont officials said he was chosen for an evidence-based, data-driven policing approach paired with community engagement. (fremont.gov) Mitchell was sworn in as Fremont’s police chief on April 17, after previously leading the Oakland Police Department until his resignation in October 2025. NBC Bay Area reported that he said he wants to build lasting relationships with the community in his new role. (nbcbayarea.com) Fremont’s own traffic safety data shows why crashes are central to his opening agenda. The city says traffic fatalities fell 42% in 2025, to seven from 12 in 2024, but also says fatal crashes have remained elevated since 2020 with reckless driving as a major factor. (fremont.gov) KTVU reported that residents raised car thefts, retail theft and reckless driving as immediate concerns during Mitchell’s early community rounds. The station also reported that Mitchell has been in the role about six weeks while meeting command staff, supervisors and City Council members across Fremont. (ktvu.com) Fremont is also launching a real-time information center and working on a new computer-aided dispatch and records management system, according to Mitchell’s interview with ABC7. He said those tools are meant to get crime-spike information to the public faster and explain why officers are deployed in particular areas. (abc7news.com) The opening test for Mitchell is whether more traffic stops, targeted patrols and new data systems can cut deaths and thefts in a city that still markets itself as one of the country’s safest. (abc7news.com) (fremont.gov)