Serious violent and property crimes increased in most major categories in Berkeley between 2022 and 2023, with particular spikes in pedestrian robberies and carjackings, according to the Berkeley Police Department.
Police supervisors and civilian analysts delivered their annual report Tuesday to the City Council. There was a 10.5% increase in “Part I” crimes in Berkeley from 2022 to 2023, according to BPD. “Part I” is a term generally used across law enforcement agencies to refer to the most serious offenses, almost all of which are felonies: murder, rape, aggravated assault, robbery, human trafficking, burglary, larceny, auto theft and arson. Part I Violent crimes increased 15%, while Part I Property crimes increased 9.7%.
“The data for 2023 indicates a noticeable increase in robbery incidents, particularly in the pedestrian and carjacking categories,” according to a report BPD turned in to the council along with Tuesday’s presentation. Conversely, there had been fewer “takeover” robberies of businesses and “fewer identifiable series in the pedestrian robbery category,” said Rita De Lucchi, an analyst for the department.
The highest percentage increases were:
- Robbery, up 32.2% from 191 to 385
- Auto theft, up 61.5% from 836 to 1350
- Arson is also up 61.5%, but from 52 to 84
“Other cities in the U.S. have also experienced spikes in the number of carjackings,” De Lucchi said. “The cars taken are often used to commit other crimes such as pedestrian robbery, retail theft, auto burglary and additional auto theft.”
De Lucchi said, “2023 was the year of the ‘Kia Boys.’ TikTok videos were shared online detailing how Kia and Hyundai ignition systems could be bypassed. This led to an explosion of thefts across the country.” Of the 1,350 cars stolen last year in Berkeley, 319 were Hyundais and 208 were Kias, she said.
She said the increases in crime overall in Berkeley were reflective of trends around the East Bay, particularly in Oakland and Richmond.
Thefts decreased a little more than 4%, from 3,055 in 2022 to 2,922, according to police data. Burglaries increased more than 18.5% from 1,036 in 2022 to 1,228. Police previously reported that retail theft had risen 19% between 2022 and 2023.
Shootings saw a dip last year, with BPD reporting just 31 in 2023 compared to 53 the year before. Those figures do not account for several cases investigated within city limits by other agencies and still remain well above the numbers of shootings seen pre-pandemic. BPD seized fewer guns in 2023, a five-year low of 69 and a 42% decrease from 2022.
Most of the dip in shootings in 2023 is from a reduction in “no-injury” shootings, and “the persistent occurrence of both ‘fatal’ and ‘non-fatal injury’ shootings highlights the need for ongoing interventions to combat gun violence,” according to the BPD report.
Last year, there was also an increase in hate crimes as well as hate incidents, which police categorize as “acts of prejudice that are not crimes and do not involve violence, threats or property damage.” BPD recorded 46 hate crimes in 2023 up from 38 in 2022, 42 in 2021 and 12 in 2020, and 50 hate incidents up from 31 in 2022 and 22 in 2021.
While total sexual assaults reported in 2023 dropped from 170 to 159, the number of felony sexual assaults rose from 89 to 97. Not all sexual assaults reported in a calendar year take place that year; in 2023, five reported sexual assaults occurred in previous years, De Lucchi said.
Catalytic converter thefts, which have spiked in Berkeley and nationwide since 2019, finally saw a decrease last year from 847 to 457, but still are nowhere near as low as the mere double-digit figures five and six years ago.
Road safety
Last year also marked the first time since 2011 with no fatal roadway collisions, down from two in 2022 and seven in 2021, and the number of collisions with injuries also decreased, from 548 to 514, though still remained higher than in 2021 (431) and 2020 (316.) Speed; failure to yield to signs, signals or crosswalks and rights of way; and unsafe turning were the most frequent “primary collision factors,” according to police. The three intersections with the highest number of crashes were University Avenue and Acton Street, Ashby and San Pablo avenues and Ashby and Shattuck avenues.
Texting while driving was the most common vehicle violation in 2023, with 318 citations, followed by failure to stop at stop signs, red lights or other traffic signs. Talking on a cellphone without a hands-free device came in fifth.
Staffing
The police department was short 30 of the 181 sworn officers it is authorized to employ as of February. That’s the lowest staffing level the department has seen since at least 2006, according to Tuesday’s presentation.
BPD is hoping “to make marginal gains in hiring police officers” in 2024, but aiming to add five to 10 new dispatchers and community service officers this year and be fully staffed in 2025, said Capt. Mike Durbin, who heads the department’s Professional Standards Unit. BPD currently has 27 of 36 dispatch positions filled, but two dispatchers are eligible for retirement. There are four vacancies out of 29 total community service officer and supervisor positions.
Calls for service have increased steadily since 2020 but still have not hit pre-pandemic highs. BPD responded to 63,791 calls for service in 2023. Officers have been averaging more and more calls per shift and more time spent on each call since 2020, in part due to low staffing, police Capt. Joe Okies said Tuesday. Officers are now spending between 18 and 20 minutes on scene per call on average, he said. That’s up from a typical call taking each officer 14 to 15 minutes in 2019, according to the department report.
The department redrew its map of patrol beats this year on account of dwindling numbers, reducing the number of beats from 16 to 14. The city has hired Folsom-based Citygate Associates LLC to conduct a staffing study on BPD, and the consultants are expected to wrap up their work around the end of June, according to the department report.
