Update, June 10: The Berkeley Police Department said it was aware of the radio problems Saturday and “immediately contacted the City’s Radio Shop personnel in the Public Works Department to try to identify the cause of the problem and resolve it.”
The city determined that the problems were related to the larger regional network, the East Bay Regional Communications System Authority, of which Berkeley is a part.
According to Berkeley Police spokeswoman Officer Jennifer Coats: “We have learned that the system was impacted by an outside signal, which caused parts of the system to experience radio interference. We have been advised that Alameda County is investigating the situation, which appears to have corrected itself at this time.”
(Berkeley scanner feeds, which are provided by a local resident, are available to the public online.)
Original story, June 9, 10 a.m.: A radio malfunction that garbled communication attempts between Berkeley officers and dispatchers Saturday night made a complex shooting investigation even more challenging, officers said.
Two males who were shot in Saturday’s brutal shooting in West Berkeley included a 16-year-old and a 19-year-old, authorities said Sunday. Contrary to earlier information released by the Berkeley Police Department, only one is a minor. Both are from Berkeley.
No update on their condition was available Sunday, and police said there had been no further developments in the case. No arrests had been made.
The shooting, just before 11 p.m. Saturday, left a gruesome scene inside La Quinta hotel, at 920 University Ave., in West Berkeley.
“There’s blood all over this lobby,” one officer reported over the scanner.
Berkeley Police Lt. Dave Frankel said Sunday that an initial report about a possible third victim at the hotel turned out to have been unfounded.
Frankel also clarified Sunday that two firearms found behind La Quinta on Saturday night were both replicas, likely tossed as people fled the scene prior to the arrival of officers. No real weapons were located in the area.
Berkeleyside reviewed scanner audio recordings from 7 p.m. Saturday through 2 a.m. Sunday. Throughout the night, officers struggled with malfunctioning radios that made communication difficult at times, particularly during the shooting investigation.
“I can’t understand anything on the radio,” one officer said between 1 and 2 a.m.
Authorities described radio traffic repeatedly to each other as “unreadable” and “breaking up,” and used the scanner code for “bad reception” numerous times.
Dispatchers and officers often had to ask each other to repeat information, or to turn to mobile phones for a clearer connection.
Police at the scene at La Quinta said the radio problems created officer safety issues and were deeply frustrating.
Officers trying to communicate about which areas had been cleared for safety, or to provide updates throughout the night, were at times stymied by static and distortion.
According to scanner traffic, the city had someone “working on the radio issue,” but problems persisted throughout the night.
Berkeley Police Lt. Dave Frankel said Sunday that radio malfunctions like this are unusual, but can pose significant communication challenges when they happen, particularly during critical incidents.
Berkeleyside has requested additional information from the Berkeley Police Department to find out what may have caused the breakdown, how widespread it was, and what steps could be taken to prevent it from recurring.
Police: Earlier disturbance at hotel party likely unrelated
Frankel said police do not believe, at this time, that a disturbance at the hotel, shortly before 9 p.m. — when “uninvited guests” tried to crash a quinceañera party in the community room — was related to the fight and shooting nearly two hours later in the same room.
Frankel said officers who responded to the first call told two females who had come to the party to leave the area after they allegedly, according to scanner traffic, tried to start a fight with a teenage girl there.
Police received a second call, from a La Quinta employee, at 10:49 p.m. reporting a fight between guests and a host of the party in the hotel’s community room, according to scanner recordings.
Then, at 10:51 p.m., numerous callers alerted Berkeley Police dispatchers after they heard four to five “loud reports” coming from La Quinta.
According to scanner recordings, one shooting victim, found in the parking lot behind the hotel, was injured in the left leg. The other, who was found on University Avenue at Eighth Street, was shot in the face. Both victims were taken to Highland Hospital in Oakland for treatment.
Police said early Sunday morning they could not confirm the location of the injuries due to medical privacy laws. Berkeley Police spokeswoman Officer Jennifer Coats did say both victims were expected to survive.
Police recovered numerous shell casings from the parking lot in front of the hotel, along University Avenue.
Coats said Sunday morning that police are looking for a white sedan that left eastbound on University from the La Quinta parking lot.
Officers worked the crime scene into the early hours Sunday morning, canvassing the area, interviewing witnesses and following up on leads.
The Berkeley Police Department asks anyone with information about the shooting to call 510-981-5900. Callers who wish to remain anonymous can reach Bay Area Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).
Related:
Update: 2 teens shot at West Berkeley hotel party (06.07.14)
Gang violence, drug use, graffiti spark renewed push to clean up West Berkeley park (04.18.14)
Berkeley Police on 3 recent shootings: ‘Responding to these incidents is our top priority’ (03.28.14)
Update: Police respond to shooting in West Berkeley (03.25.14)
Update: 2 teens shot on Harmon Street in Berkeley (03.24.14)
Berkeley Police investigate drive-by shooting on Harmon (03.24.14)
3 years after killing, Berkeley family still seeking justice (03.10.14)
Victim reports shooting in Berkeley, details scant (02.28.14)
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