The City Council has chosen the first leader for Berkeley’s Police Accountability Board.
Hansel Aguilar, who is now the executive director of a similar law enforcement oversight agency in Charlottesville, Virginia, is set to become Berkeley’s Director of Police Accountability later this month. The City Council approved his hiring at a special meeting Tuesday afternoon, following a search that began earlier this year by the consultant Bret Byers Group.
Berkeley residents created the role when they overwhelmingly voted to approve Measure II in 2020.
The measure launched the Police Accountability Board, which replaced the city’s Police Review Commission, giving the new entity expanded power to review Berkeley Police Department policies and investigate allegations of misconduct by officers. The board has been meeting since last year under an interim director, Katherine Lee.
Aguilar, a former police officer, has led Charlottesville’s oversight board for a little more than a year, according to his LinkedIn profile. He has also worked as a misconduct investigator and in other police oversight roles in the Washington, D.C., area.
Aguilar will be paid a salary of $200,000 per year, plus relocation expenses and a six-month housing allowance of $4,000 per month, according to the terms of his contract. He will report to the mayor and City Council.
