OAKLAND — Mayor Barbara Lee appointed a longtime assistant police chief Friday to temporarily helm the Oakland Police Department while the city prepares to search for a permanent hire.

James Beere, who has worked at OPD for nearly three decades, will be the interim police chief. The veteran’s name previously had been floated as a potential chief hire before Floyd Mitchell was selected last year.

“We’re going to focus on the people who are driving the violence in this city,” Beere said, “and we’re going to continue to build trust in the community.”

Mitchell announced last month he was resigning after hardly a year and a half on the job. His last day is Dec. 5. The outgoing chief flanked Beere at a news conference Friday, expressing full confidence in the assistant chief’s capabilities.

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