Category Archives: Police
Police recognize retirement, celebrate promotions
More than 100 people crowded into the Maudelle Shirek building in downtown Berkeley on Thursday morning to celebrate three promotions and recognize the retirement of a longtime officer from the Berkeley Police Department.
Opening these ceremonies to the public is a relatively new move by the department to give the community a chance to learn about how officers approach their work, said Police Chief Michael Meehan.
“It’s something I changed when I got hired,” said Meehan. “We’re proud of who we are and what we’re doing in this city, and we want people to know who their officers are.” … Continue reading »
Berkeley Police: Gunshots on Harmon and more
Earlier this year, the Berkeley Police Department relaunched its monthly newsletter to let community members know about notable arrests and incidents, as well as crime prevention tips and safety resources. Along with beat maps and police contacts for each neighborhood, the newsletter highlights arrests and open cases in Berkeley from the prior month. The fifth edition of the newsletter came out in May. Scroll down for highlights. … Continue reading »
Police watch for violence at funeral for 19-year-old
Berkeley police were out in force Thursday for the funeral of Ceejay Reed, 19, at McGee Avenue Baptist Church in South Berkeley.
The police established a visible presence on McGee and Stuart Street around 11 a.m. in an effort to deter a repeat of a shooting Tuesday night in East Oakland during a street vigil for Reed. On that occasion, a car driving by a group of people mourning Reed in the 5000 block of Melrose Avenue fired 20 to 30 bullets, one of which killed a 19-year-old Antioch man. Some of the bullets shattered the window of Oakland Fire Station 18, narrowly missing two firefighters, according to news reports. … Continue reading »
Pedestrian in critical condition after auto accident
A Berkeley man is in critical condition after being struck by a car while walking on University Avenue just west of San Pablo Avenue on Tuesday night, authorities said.
“We received multiple 911 calls at approximately 8:23 p.m.,” said Berkeley Police spokeswoman officer Jennifer Coats, via email at about 11:20 p.m. The man was taken by the Berkeley Fire Department to a local hospital, where he was listed in critical condition. … Continue reading »
Xavier (Kayla) Moore’s death: The timeline
Late on Tuesday night, Feb. 12, Berkeley police responded to a dispatch call about a disturbance on Allston Way. Less than two hours later, Xavier (Kayla) Moore was pronounced dead at Alta Bates Hospital.
On Friday May 3, the Berkeley Police Department released its 348-page investigation of what happened that night, the same day that the Alameda County coroner’s report on the death was released. From the two documents, and the many sworn statements within them, it’s possible to reconstruct part of what happened that night.
Moore identified as female, using the name Kayla, but all of the police documents, the coroner’s report and the witness statements refer to Moore as a male.
Tuesday Feb. 12, 2013, around 5 or 6 p.m.
John Andre Hayes came home to apartment 514 in the Gaia Building on Allston Way early in the evening. According to Hayes, he and Moore are roommates and have known each other for 15 or more years. … Continue reading »
Coroner, police deliver reports on Xavier Moore death
Xavier (Kayla) Moore died because of “acute combined drug intoxication,” according to the Alameda County Coroner’s report released today. The coroner ruled the death accidental. The 41-year old Moore stopped breathing while being taken into police custody on Feb. 12 at the Gaia Building on Allston Way. Moore was pronounced dead at 1:34 a.m. on Feb. 13 at Alta Bates Hospital.
Since Moore’s death, there have been protests about the role of the police, culminating in a heated public comment session at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting. … Continue reading »
Emotional pleas prompt call for Kayla Moore report
After a heated public comment period Tuesday night before the Berkeley City Council — which led police officers to drag a man from the room and caused Mayor Tom Bates to shout for order after CopWatch supporters refused to cede the floor — participants in the fight for “justice for Kayla Moore” may be one step closer to discovering what happened the February night Moore died in police custody. (See Berkeleyside’s videos of the incidents below.)
Family members of the deceased Moore told the council they have received no information or communication from police or the city since the death, which took place Feb. 12. The Berkeley Police Department released a preliminary statement on the incident in February, but has otherwise declined to comment while the Alameda County coroner’s office completes its report on the death investigation. … Continue reading »
Berkeley Police newsletter: Car stop nets guns and more
Earlier this year, the Berkeley Police Department relaunched its monthly newsletter to let community members know about notable arrests and incidents, as well as crime prevention tips and safety resources.
Along with beat maps and police contacts for each neighborhood, the newsletter highlights arrests and open cases in Berkeley from the prior month. The fourth edition of the newsletter came out in April.
Residents can sign up to receive the monthly police newsletter by sending an email to police@cityofberkeley.info, or to their local beat officer. The newsletter is also posted online on the Police Department website. Scroll down for highlights from the newsletter. … Continue reading »
Berkeley residents, police collaborate on safety
Wednesday night, Berkeley residents crowded into a briefing room at the Berkeley Police Department for an annual meeting aimed to bring leaders in neighborhood crime prevention efforts together with local authorities.
The meeting, of the Berkeley Safe Neighborhoods Committee, included Neighborhood Watch block captains and the Police Department representatives who work with them. The committee meets monthly to talk about and plan community safety efforts, and is open to block captains around the city. (Residents interested in joining or starting a Neighborhood Watch group can contact the Police Department’s Community Services Bureau at 510-981-5808. Learn more about local law enforcement contacts via this map.) … Continue reading »
Photo feature: 12 hours with the Berkeley Police
What does a 12-hour shift with the Berkeley Police Department look like? If you ask officers, they’ll likely tell you there’s no such thing as normal. Berkeleyside took a close-up look over the weekend, via a ride-along from 2 p.m. Friday until 2 a.m. Saturday. Officer Jennifer Coats, police spokeswoman, was our guide. Throughout the shift, calls ranged from domestic violence reports and mental health calls to robberies, with much of the activity late in the night focusing on alcohol-related incidents around Telegraph Avenue. (Photos by Emilie Raguso)
Police, Fire conduct ‘shooter’ drill at Berkeley school
Authorities converged on a North Berkeley school campus Tuesday morning to practice how to respond to a scenario involving injured and deceased victims, as well as a barricaded gunman.
Victims, played by volunteers, wore stage make-up to mimic injuries. Police and fire teams, who began responding to the “call” around 9 a.m., had to come up with a safe strategy to care for the injured, who were scattered throughout the school, and locate the hidden shooter. First responders included several police officers, who found an injured “victim” in the grass outside the school; as they communicated suspect information and other details from the victim back to dispatchers, more and more crews arrived.
The operation culminated around 11 a.m. when a police team found and “killed” a volunteer playing the role of the shooter. Photos from the drill, by Emilie Raguso, appear here. … Continue reading »
Police union: Should Berkeley have Tasers?
The Berkeley Police Officers Association has sent out a survey to 19,000 Berkeley residents asking them their opinion on police use of Tasers.
The BPA posed seven questions in a March 27 email survey to see whether the community considers Tasers as way to assist police and protect suspects, or the opposite.
“This is a very initial step to find out what the community sense is … and go from there,” said Sgt. Chris Stines, the president of the BPA, which represents more than 150 rank-and-file officers. … Continue reading »
Police find evidence of arrows shot in Berkeley hills
Authorities handed out fliers and made multiple visits to neighbors near the scene of a shooting on Tuesday that sent an 8-year-old girl to the hospital with an arrow through her leg.
Janet Gilmore, a UC Berkeley spokeswoman, said Wednesday via email that there have been no updates or arrests in the investigation.
A flier dated March 26 that was handed out by members of the University of California Police Department included a photo of the arrow, described as a 20-inch crossbow arrow, that struck the girl. … Continue reading »
