Toward a Berkeley where all residents feel safe
CITY AFFAIRS: Recent police reforms in Berkeley mark significant progress in public safety, should be only the beginning of transformative change
Rachel Lee/Staff
Following the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor at the hands of police officers last spring and amid an eruption of protests nationwide calling for an end to police brutality against Black Americans Berkeleyans, too, called for a reckoning here at home.
On Tuesday, Berkeley City Council answered those calls, adopting reforms requiring written consent for police searches and the firing of racist officers. To minimize racially motivated pretextual stops, officers will also be prohibited from enforcing minor traffic violations.
Berkeley votes to limit low-level traffic stops to reduce policing disparities
Officers will focus on investigative stops and pulling over dangerous drivers rather than “random observations of minor equipment violations,” Police Chief Andrew Greenwood said.
Berkeley police will focus on safety- and investigation-related traffic stops while limiting stops for “low-level” offenses. Photo: Jerome Paulos
Officials voted unanimously Tuesday night to deprioritize traffic stops in Berkeley for “low-level” offenses, such as not wearing a seat belt or having expired registration tags, and focus police efforts instead on driving violations related to traffic safety.
The decision was part of a package of police reform efforts approved Tuesday night to address racial disparities in policing that have been documented in Berkeley and around the nation. A working group convened by Mayor Jesse Arreguín, composed of academics, activists, police and city officials, came up with the re
Berkeley City Council looks to reduce racial disparities in policing
Theo-Wyss Flamm/Staff
Berkely City Council unanimously passed recommendations from the mayor’s Fair and Impartial Working Group during a special meeting Tuesday. According to Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguín, community trust is impacted by biased policing.
Last Updated February 25, 2021
At a special Berkeley City Council meeting Tuesday, the council unanimously passed recommendations proposed by the mayor’s Fair and Impartial Working Group that aim to reduce racial disparities in policing and increase community trust.
Some recommendations were directly proposed for the Berkeley Police Department, according to the City Council’s meeting agenda. These include ending stops for low-level offenses such as not wearing a seat belt, implementing implicit bias training and limiting searches without warrants on individuals who are on probation or parole.
The Berkeley City Council voted to approve a slew of police reforms on Tuesday
It comes as the city works to cut the police department s budget in half to $36million by this summer
Reforms include ending traffic stops for low-level violations, requiring written consent for searches and using unarmed civil servants for traffic enforcement
The city will also implement an Early Intervention System to get biased officers off the street and look into firing officers who post racist content online
The Berkeley Police Association condemned the reforms, saying they will create significant safety consequence for citizens and officers
The union also claimed the council did not consult its members before voting