Tag Archives: Berkeley crime
Community gathers after murder, quizzes Berkeley police
An estimated 150-200 people turned out on Thursday evening to Northbrae Community Church on The Alameda in north Berkeley to ask the Berkeley Police Department about their response to the Feb. 18 murder of Park Hills resident Peter Cukor.
There was a palpable sense of anxiety in the room as the meeting got under way and a significant media presence, with several TV crews as well as print and digital journalists in attendance.
When Councilmember Susan Wengraf opened by saying questions would be taken on written cards, there were shouts of dismay and hostile accusations leveled by several members of the audience.
However, once the meeting progressed, the mood became calmer and there were even moments of levity. Berkeley Police Chief Michael Meehan received several rounds of applause from an audience that generally skewed towards the over-50s. … Continue reading »
Berkeley shows big decline in violent and property crime
Total crime was down in Berkeley last year by 14%, a result that councilmembers hailed as “great news” when the annual crime report was presented at last night’s City Council meeting.
Violent crime fell 9%, from 531 crimes in 2010 to 482 in 2011. Property crime fell 15%, from 5,941 to 5,071. Only the small number of arsons increased, from 23 to 25, and auto theft was up 5%.
Berkeley Police Chief Michael Meehan said that it was not yet possible to compare Berkeley’s results with other cities, but the reduction from 2009 to 2010 had been twice the state and national average.
Asked about the reasons for the encouraging results, Meehan said that academic studies had shown the only consistent factors in crime reduction were “adequate police resources and focused police strategies”. The Berkeley police, he said, worked to “specific and measurable goals”, which had been exceeded in 2011. … Continue reading »
Police blotter: Recent crime in Berkeley
See also BPD’s weekly calls for service and the San Francisco Chronicle’s regularly published list of arrests in Berkeley. For other sources of information on crime in Berkeley see Community CrimeView and Crimemapping.com.
February 28:
Traffic Enforcement Stop leads to Drug Arrest #12-10941
City of Berkeley Police Department Drug Task Force Officers (DTF) stopped a car for a vehicle code violation on Baker Street just south of Alcatraz Avenue on Tuesday, February 28, 2012. Officers contacted the driver of the car and conducted a records check which revealed that he was on Federal Probation for a narcotics offense. The driver told the officers that he had marijuana in the car. Officers conducted a probable cause search of him and his car and found 5 ounces of marijuana, a digital scale, and over $5,000 in cash. He also had pieces of mail from the I.R.S. that were not addressed to him. Officers suspected that the suspect was involved in some sort of tax return refund fraud which would be investigated further. The 29-year Oakland man was arrested and was booked into the BPD Jail for H&S 11359 – Possession For Sales, H&S 11360 Sales of Marijuana and 530.5 PC – Identity Theft. … Continue reading »
Councilmember calls meeting after Berkeley murder
Councilmember Susan Wengraf (District 6) has called a town hall meeting to discuss public safety in the wake of the Feb. 18 murder of Peter Cukor outside his home in north Berkeley. Police Chief Michael Meehan and City Manager Christine Daniels will both be in attendance, as will a supervising dispatcher, and BPD Area Coordinator Officer Byron White.
In a communication to her constituents, Wengraf wrote that she was saddened and disturbed by the murder. “The circumstances surrounding the incident have raised many concerns about safety and police protection. I have talked to some of you personally and others by email. However, given the nature of the incident, I think that a public meeting where you all have an opportunity to voice your concerns and get answers to your questions directly from the Police Chief would be in the best interests of our community.” … Continue reading »
Murder trial delayed for psychological assessment
Judge Sandra Bean yesterday delayed the trial of homicide suspect Daniel Jordan DeWitt so that two doctors could assess him for mental competence under section 1368 of the California Penal Code.
On Wednesday, DeWitt was charged with felony murder and use of a deadly weapon in the killing of Peter Cukor outside his home in the Berkeley hills on Feb 18. Yesterday, Dewitt’s lawyer, Brian Bloom, asked the court for a delay so that DeWitt’s competence to stand trial could be assessed.
Cukor and his wife Andrea Cukor returned home around 8:45 pm on the night of Feb. 18 and saw DeWitt loitering in their garage. Peter Cukor told DeWitt to leave, went inside the house, then came out again and was attacked, according to BPD. A ceramic planter was allegedly used in the attack.
Al DeWitt Jr., DeWitt’s father, said his son was diagnosed five years ago with paranoid schizophrenia and has been in mental health facilities at least nine times. … Continue reading »
Councilmember: Unanswered questions over murder
Update, 4:32 pm: Murder suspect Daniel DeWitt did not enter a plea this afternoon at his arraignment in Alameda County Superior Court, according to an updated report by Henry Lee in the Chronicle. His father, Al DeWitt Jr., confirmed the person his son described as his fiancée, Zoey, does not exist. Daniel DeWitt was diagnosed five years ago with paranoid schizophrenia and has a pending misdemeanor battery case for an incident last year.
Original story: Berkeley City Councilmember Susan Wengraf is to meet with Berkeley Police Chief Michael Meehan to seek answers to what she says are still unanswered questions over the police response to the Feb. 18 killing of Peter Cukor, 67, outside his home at Park Gate in the north Berkeley hills.
In particular, Wengraf says she wants to understand more clearly the prioritization of non-emergency calls by BPD and larger protocol issues about how calls to the police from the community are handled.
BDP did not respond to a non-emergency call placed by Cukor at approximately 8:45 pm on Feb. 18. because patrol teams had been reconfigured to monitor an Occupy protest march which was coming into Berkeley from Oakland. The first of several BPD officers arrived at the scene within five minutes of a subsequent 911 call by Cukor’s wife, which was placed at 9:02 pm, after the murder suspect had begun to assault Cukor. … Continue reading »
Berkeley hills neighbors react with shock to murder
Update, 6:25 pm: BPD issued some new clarifications at 5:00 pm this evening about the February 18th killing. There follows a statement by Operations & Area 2 Commander Lt. Andrew Greenwood:
“BPD received a report of a suspicious person possibly trespassing. The caller calmly reported an encounter with a strange person on his property, and asked for an officer to respond. This call for service was queued for dispatch.
At that time, available Patrol teams were being reconfigured in order to monitor a protest which was to come into Berkeley from Oakland in the next hour. Only criminal, in-progress emergency calls were to be dispatched, due to the reduction in officers available to handle calls for service.
BPD subsequently received a call of an attack in progress on Park Gate Rd. Officers were immediately dispatched to that call. … Continue reading »
Police blotter: Recent crime in Berkeley
See also BPD’s weekly calls for service and the San Francisco Chronicle’s regularly published list of arrests in Berkeley. For other sources of information on crime in Berkeley see Community CrimeView and Crimemapping.com.
February 14th:
Residential Burglary via likely unlocked front door – 1600 block of Ward Street – #2012-8290
On Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at approximately 10:32 a.m., a BPD Patrol Sergeant assigned himself to a call for service in the queue. He went to the 1600 block of Ward Street and learned that sometime between 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. the day before (February 13th) an unknown suspect or suspect accessed the victim’s bedroom and stole a MacBook. The young woman said that the door to the home is often left often for a number of reasons. The Sergeant located the serial number of the computer the next day and was able to enter into APS – Automated Property System – a searchable database of stolen property. … Continue reading »
Police blotter: Recent crime in Berkeley
See also BPD’s weekly calls for service and the San Francisco Chronicle’s regularly published list of arrests in Berkeley. For other sources of information on crime in Berkeley see Community CrimeView and Crimemapping.com.
January 30th:
Drunk in Public Arrest – 1800 Block of Martin Luther King Jr. Way – #2012-5525
On Monday, January 30, 2012 at about 11:51 p.m., a female community member called to report someone knocking on her door in the 1800 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Way and creating a disturbance. BPD officers responded and found a man, later identified as a 30-year-old Berkeley resident. The handling officer immediately noted that the man displayed objective signs of alcohol beverage intoxication, including bloodshot watery eyes, unstable gait, slurred speech, flushed face, and had the odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath. The officer determined based on these factors that the subject could not care for his own welfare. BPD arrested the subject for violation of PC647(F) – Drunk in Public with a request that the Jail staff give him a citation and release him when he is sober. … Continue reading »
Police blotter: Recent crime in Berkeley
This is a partial list of recent crimes in Berkeley based on information from the Berkeley Police Department and the UC Berkeley Police Department. Last night’s murder occurred too late for this police-compiled listing.
See also BPD’s weekly calls for service and the San Francisco Chronicle’s regularly published list of arrests in Berkeley. For other sources of information on crime in Berkeley see Community CrimeView and Crimemapping.com.
Thursday, January 19
Armed Robbery – Channing Way and Atherton Street
On Thursday, January 19, at 8:31 p.m., an armed robbery occurred at the intersection of Channing Way and Atherton Street. The victim was approached by the male suspect who displayed a silver handgun and robbed him of cash. The suspect fled the scene on foot and was last seen entering a white or silver vehicle, possibly a Lexus. The victim was not injured during the encounter. The Berkeley Police Department searched the area but was unable to locate the suspect or the suspect’s vehicle.
The suspect was described as: a Black or Hispanic male, in his 20s, approximately 5′-5″ tall, medium
build, wearing a black kerchief or cap, a black jacket, blue jeans, and white tennis shoes. … Continue reading »
