Armstrong’s comments were made after Thao had placed him on leave in January following a report that found he was responsible for multiple failures in OPD’s disciplinary system.
In the days following hisleave, Armstrong spoke at a downtown Oakland rally. He demanded he be reinstated and accused OPD's federal monitor, Robert Warshaw, of corruption. Armstrong has not yet specified the exact amount of money he is seeking from the city, but a claim is seen as a first step towards filing suit.
Eli Wolfe is a reporter with Oaklandside, covering Oakland City Hall.
“I see that as maybe the biggest impediment the city is facing going forward is it’s trying to bring in new police leadership and this legal claim, if it morphs into a lawsuit could, you know, that might disincentivize someone from wanting to take on that job.”
This is not the first time a fired OPD chief has filed a legal claim against Oakland.
Anne Kirkpatrick, the chief prior to Armstrong, was fired in 2020 by then-Mayor Libby Schaaf because of alleged backsliding on federally mandated reforms.
Kirkpatrick alleged that she, too, was fired as retaliation. She also accused federal monitor Warshaw of abusing his position. The former police chief sued the city and a jury awarded her nearly $340,000.
