A federal judge has ruled that Berkeley police officers used "minimal" force that was "reasonable" when they arrested several people who protested or resisted arrest during a homeless camp removal in 2016.
The father of a transgender woman who died in 2013, as police tried to arrest her, failed to provide enough evidence to prove discrimination. A judge has denied his claim.
Available Berkeley police staffing is down to 135 officers, and 80% of the department is investigating whether to leave, a Berkeley Police Association rep said Monday night.
The sister of a transgender woman who died in custody says police use excessive force against mentally ill people who could be subdued with less extreme measures.
Early Friday morning, Berkeley police dismantled an encampment that had been set up on Adeline Street to protest the way the city provides homeless services.
A U.S. District Court judge has rejected the majority of a wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Berkeley that criticized the way police officers handled a 2013 call involving a transgender woman in a mental health crisis.
Attorneys for the city of Berkeley have asked a U.S. District Court judge to reject a wrongful death lawsuit filed in 2014 by the father of a transgender woman who died in police custody in 2013.
Recently, several groups have alleged that, due to racial disparity between Berkeley Police stop data and the resident census population, the only possible explanation was racial profiling by Berkeley Police. I respectfully disagree.
“The men and women of the Berkeley Police Department do not, have not and will never tolerate discriminatory, bias-based policing. Such discrimination is illegal, it is not our practice and it is not part of our organizational culture,” Meehan said.
Berkeley police officers disproportionately stop and search people of color during traffic stops, according to a coalition of groups that presented data and demanded changes from the department Tuesday.
The Berkeley Police Department has released two operational plans about protests in the city Dec. 6-7, but most of the wording was blacked out and redacted, so minimal information was revealed.
After canceling its regular session last week, the Berkeley City Council is set to hold two back-to-back meetings Tuesday night at Longfellow Middle School.
© Berkeleyside. All Rights Reserved.
