Several city officials say Berkeley City Manager Dee Williams-Ridley did not inform them of a past investigation into Jennifer Louis, her choice for top cop.
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Berkeley Police Chief Andrew Greenwood. Photo: Emilie Raguso
Berkeley Police Chief Andrew Greenwood announced his retirement Thursday and said his last day at the department would be March 12.
Greenwood, a Berkeley native, has been at BPD for 35 years and became chief four years ago with a promise to make public trust his top priority.
“The time has come for me to focus on my family and our health, and give long overdue attention to our home,” he wrote in his brief retirement announcement, which he emailed to the department Thursday at 11:15 a.m.
Greenwood said Capt. Jen Louis will serve as interim chief, “effective immediately,” and has his “full support.” The city will conduct a national search for Greenwood’s replacement, according to a memo from the city manager that was posted Thursday.
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
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