Berkeley, California Adopts Sweeping Police Reforms
“Berkeley is not immune from our nation’s reckoning with systemic racism.” -Mayor Jesse Arreguín Amy Osborne
Following months of national protests against racial injustice and the unjustified killings of Black people, the city of Berkeley, California is answering the call to pursue reform within its police department .
The Berkeley city council on Tuesday voted to end certain policing policies that leave people of color vulnerable. For starters, they will eliminate police traffic stops for low-level offenses, like having an expired license, or not wearing a safety belt. The council also decided police will be required to have written consent before searching vehicles, unless officers are in a situation where consent is not legally required.
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
The Berkeley City Council adopted a set of police reform that will eliminate unnecessary polices stops, require written consent for searches and end requests.
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