Photo: Eric Angstadt Update, Feb. 26, 10:11 a.m. The city manager’s office sent the following notice to city officials at 10:05 a.m. “It is with sadness that I inform you that Eric Angstadt has submitted his resignation as Planning Director effective March 25, 2016 to become the Chief Assistant County Administrator for Contra Costa County. Eric came […]
Erik Upson
Posted inCity, Crime & Safety
‘Unconstitutional police attacks’ in December Berkeley protests spur civil rights lawsuit
Lawyers Rachel Lederman and James Chanin (left) and plaintiffs Joseph Watkins, Moni Law, Rasheed Shabazz and Cindy Pincus during the Monday press conference in front of Berkeley Police headquarters. Photo: Lance Knobel Lawyers Rachel Lederman and James Chanin (left) and plaintiffs Joseph Watkins, Moni Law, Rasheed Shabazz and Cindy Pincus during the Monday press conference in front of Berkeley […]
Posted inCity
Another Berkeley department head to retire
Andrew Clough is retiring after eight years running the Public Works department. Photo: Emilie Raguso Another longtime city employee has announced plans to leave Berkeley, according to a memo to the Berkeley City Council from the city manager posted online Wednesday. Andrew Clough, who has helped run the city’s Public Works Department for eight years — […]
Posted inSchools
Principal restricts access to Berkeley High because of reports that a fight might break out
BHS principal Kristin Glenchur is asking students to stay on campus for lunch and is limiting outside visitors because of rumors of a brewing brawl between kids from area high schools. Update, 8:10 p.m.: BHS acting principal Kristin Glenchur sent out an email to the school community at around 5:30 p.m. to report on 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 & Safety
Berkeley police captain to become Benicia chief
Capt. Erik Upson. Photo: Berkeley Police After 17 years with the Berkeley Police Department, Capt. Erik Upson has been selected to run police services in Benicia beginning later this month. Upson announced the move internally Monday, and the city of Benicia followed up with an official statement Tuesday. He is set to begin his new job as […]
Posted inCommunity, Crime & Safety
Police release redacted reports on Berkeley protests
After denying a Public Records Act request from a local police watchdog group, the department responded with heavily redacted documents. 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. Andrea Prichett, co-founder of Berkeley Copwatch, […]
Posted inCrime, Crime & Safety
Always on call: Inside the Berkeley Police dispatch center
What makes a dispatcher tick? Berkeleyside spent six hours in the comm center to find out. Photo: Emilie Raguso For most people in crisis, the first point of contact for help is not the officer or the firefighter, but a voice on the phone line. A missing loved one, a car crash, a harrowing encounter with a […]
Posted inCrime
Neighbors talk surveillance, robberies, code enforcement at community crime watch meeting
Thefts and burglaries from vehicles from Jan. 29 to Feb. 25. The blue hexagons show unlocked vehicles. Source: BPD Berkeley residents who participate in community crime prevention efforts met with police this week to share concerns and learn about recent crime trends. Block captains and members of the Berkeley Safe Neighborhood Committee shared updates on […]
Posted inCommunity
Berkeley’s Sacramento Street corridor on the rise
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QAGuiQ1sro Berkeley city staff are taking aim at a South Berkeley neighborhood that has struggled economically in recent years by teaming up with residents, as well as business and property owners, to make improvements hoped to make a difference in the near-term along Sacramento Street. Last week, some 30 people attended a meeting at San […]
Posted inCrime
Driver strikes 3 blind pedestrians in Berkeley, flees
Scroll to the bottom of this story for safety tips about cautious driving around the visually impaired. Image: Google maps The Berkeley Police Department arrested an Oakland woman Thursday in connection with several violations, including felony driving under the influence, after they say she struck and injured three blind people walking downtown. Just before 4 […]
Posted inCrime, Crime & Safety
Council highlights gangs, staffing during crime report
Pedestrian robberies in Berkeley from January to June 2013 mapped by location. (Click to see the full report.) Source: Berkeley Police Department The Berkeley Police Department’s mid-year crime report drew compliments from city officials regarding the city’s approach to crime fighting, as well as requests for more information in the future about case closure rates, […]
