Henry’s hostage crisis: Berkeley Special Response Team officers move in. Photo: David Yee Henry’s hostage crisis: Berkeley Special Response Team officers move in. Photo: David Yee The shots rang out just after midnight, leaving seven people injured and dozens held hostage in Henry’s Publick House at the Hotel Durant in Berkeley’s Southside neighborhood. One of […]
De-escalation
Posted inCommunity, Crime & Safety
Update: Man comes down from sculpture after 5.5 hours
A man climbed onto a Berkeley bear sculpture Saturday and refused to come down. Photo: William Newton A man climbed onto a Berkeley bear sculpture Saturday and refused to come down. Photo: William Newton Note: An update about this incident appears toward the bottom of this article. A military veteran reportedly having a mental health crisis climbed on top of the […]
Posted inCity, Community, Crime & Safety
Mental health calls #1 drain on Berkeley police resources
Thirty-five percent of calls to the Berkeley Police Department are for people who are having a mental health crisis. Here, police officers restrained a man who was later taken for a mental health evaluation as two mental health workers (left), try to calm him down. Photo: Emilie Raguso Responding to people with mental health issues […]
Posted inCrime, Crime & Safety
Violent crime dropped 25% in Berkeley in 2014
Berkeley’s annual crime report is coming up Tuesday night. See the staff report. Image: Berkeley Police Department Police officials will give the Berkeley City Council a broad overview of 2014 crime trends Tuesday night, showing significant reductions in the city’s most serious incidents. Last year saw a 25% reduction in violent crimes, and a 5% […]
Posted inCrime, Crime & Safety
Berkeley police defuse disturbance on Woolsey
The approximate location (accurate only to the block level) of Friday’s call on Woolsey. Image: Google maps The approximate location (accurate only to the block level) of Friday’s call on Woolsey. Image: Google maps Police have detained one man after he reportedly challenged officers to a confrontation in South Berkeley on Friday morning. Berkeley Police […]
Posted inCrime, Crime & Safety
Update: Berkeley standoff over; man surrenders
Emergency personnel responded in significant numbers to an incident at a storage facility (upper left in the photograph) on Sixth and Virginia streets in West Berkeley today. Photo: Emilie Raguso Update, Aug. 11, 4 p.m. Berkeleyside has received some additional information from the Berkeley Police Department about how this call came in. Police said initial reports […]
Posted inCrime, Crime & Safety
Barricaded man with knife arrested near Cal campus
Image: Google Maps A barricaded man who was making threats, brandishing a knife and hurling bottles at police shut down a block south of campus Monday night before ultimately being arrested by police after a short stand-off. Monday at about 7:20 p.m., officers responded to a report of a burglary in progress in the 2200 block […]
Posted inCity, Crime, Crime & Safety
Officials agree to study Tasers for Berkeley police
Advocates for and against Tasers showed up Tuesday night to speak to the Berkeley City Council. Glenn Turner, in front, says she would rather see an investment in mental health services. Behind her is an officer whose hand was broken during a recent physical fight with a suspect who refused to stop when the officer […]
Posted inCrime, Crime & Safety
Taser report: Tool could save Berkeley millions, decrease use of force, but oversight and training would be key
With the Berkeley City Council about to request a report on Tasers, a 2011 study on the subject has surfaced. Photo: Creative Commons With the Berkeley City Council about to request a report on Tasers, a 2011 study on the subject has surfaced. Photo: Creative Commons Berkeley officials plan to consider in early May whether to take their first deep […]
Posted inCrime & Safety
After suicide attempt, police union says Tasers needed
Berkeley Police sergeants Emily Murphy (left) and Chris Stines first publicly made the case for Tasers at a press conference in May (file photo). Photo: Lance Knobel The Berkeley Police Association says Tasers could have helped prevent the near-death of a man who stabbed himself repeatedly last week in Berkeley, according to a statement released […]
Posted inCrime
Berkeley crime up 11% in 2012, but longer trend is down
By Lance Knobel and Emilie Raguso Berkeley’s annual crime report shows a one-year increase of 11% in violent and property crimes in 2012. The uptick comes after four consecutive years of lowered crime, as measured by the Uniform Crime Reports’ so-called Part I crimes. But Berkeley Police Chief Michael Meehan told the City Council, during […]
Posted inCrime & Safety
Albany shooting suspect in custody after long standoff
A suspect spent several hours barricaded in an apartment in this building at 1117 Brighton Ave. in Albany on Wed. 19 in a standoff with police following an alleged shooting. Photo: Emilie Raguso Update, 1 p.m. The Albany Police Department released a new statement at 1 p.m. According to the statement, police entered the Brighton Avenue […]