SAN LEANDRO — Angela Averiett, a more than 30-year veteran of Bay Area law enforcement, has been named San Leandro’s new chief of police, the city announced Tuesday.
Averiett had been interim chief of the department since late April.
In a social media announcement of the appointment, which was effective Monday, City Manager Fran Robustelli called Averiett “a well respected law enforcement veteran, who is an advocate for diversity, inclusion and community building. Chief Averiett will provide immediate attention to pressing needs, such as transparency, investment into personnel, and continuing to implement police oversight for the department.”
Responding to her appointment, Averiett said: “It is an honor to be gifted the chance to serve the dedicated women and men of the San Leandro Police Department and the rich, diverse group of San Leandrans. Our profession faces many challenges, but we have a tremendous opportunity to set an example for progressive, transparent, accountable, and community-focused policing. I look forward to working closely with all of our internal and external stakeholders to make the San Leandro Police Department a pioneering model of contemporary policing for others to emulate.”
Chief Averiett will now earn an initial annual base salary of $303,060, according to city records.
Prior to working in San Leandro, Averiett had been the Los Altos police chief since July 2022.After more than three years as a Hayward police records clerk, she served as an Alameda County sheriff’s deputy from January 2000 to June 2001 before joining the Hayward Police Department as an officer. She rose through department for years, achieving the rank of lieutenant in January 2019. She then became a BART Police Department lieutenant and was appointed a BART deputy chief in February 2020 before moving to the Los Altos job.
Chief Averiett holds a bachelor’s degree in Leadership and Organizational Studies from St. Mary’s College. She also graduated from the Alameda County Leadership Academy and the Los Angeles Police Department Leadership Academy. She currently serves on a number of community, civic, and professional organizations, including the California Association of Hostage Negotiators, Peace Officer Standards and Training AB392 Use of Force Guidelines Committee, NOBLE (National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives), and Women Leaders in Law Enforcement.Averiett succeeds former San Leandro chief Abdul Pridgen, who left the department in February amidst an internal investigation into possible misconduct that had begun in September of 2023. In announcing the departure, the city did not say if Pridgen resigned or was fired. The city has never detailed the charges against him.
While announcing Averiett’s pending arrival in February, San Leandro city officials said that the police department’s then-interim chief, Kevin Hart, would step down from his role “due to restrictions related to his retired annuitant status” that limited the hours he can work.
City Manager Robustelli previously said his “extensive background and proven leadership skills make him an excellent candidate to lead the department while (now-former) Chief Pridgen is on leave.” However, Hart’s 35-year-career in law enforcement was clouded by several troubling incidents.
Hart was involved in investigations into a Kensington sergeant whose gun was stolen by a Reno prostitute he brought to a hotel room and officers that egregiously abused their authority to access highly confidential state law-enforcement databases. Additionally, Hart earned a reputation among local government watchdogs as a “triple-dipper” of public employee pay and benefits packages after raking in more than $370,000 in government salaries and pension in 2015.
