The Oakland school district's small police force, which has drawn outsized attention this year for an officer-involved shooting and an alleged racist outburst by its chief, has a new interim leader.

Beginning Tuesday, Lt. James Williams, a 17-year veteran of the Oakland Housing Authority's police department, will head the Oakland school police operations while the district searches for a permanent chief, Troy Flint, the school district's spokesman, announced Friday.

"He has a reputation as a man with high integrity," Flint said.

Williams will be the second person to run the 16-officer police department since Aug. 4, when then-Chief Peter Sarna,