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 […]
Mental health
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 & Safety, Opinion
Op-ed: Tasers, torture and the soul of the city
The Berkeley City Council will consider asking city staff on May 6 to prepare report on the use of Tasers. Photo: Creative Commons Before I discuss the facts and reasons that lead me to oppose arming Berkeley Police with Tasers, I invite readers to remember a bit of Berkeley history. This city was once nationally […]
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 inCity, Crime, Crime & Safety
Councilmen: Time is now to discuss Tasers in Berkeley
Councilman Laurie Capitelli is among three Berkeley council members who are calling for a discussion on Taser use by Berkeley Police officers. Photo: Emilie Raguso Three Berkeley City Council members are bringing the issue of Taser use by local police to the forefront with a proposed council agenda item currently set for consideration in early […]
Posted inCrime, Crime & Safety
Police call for Tasers after attempted killing of officer
The Berkeley Police Association has been making the case for officers to have Tasers. Photo: Creative Commons The president of the Berkeley Police Association is asking city officials to consider the use of Tasers by Berkeley officers after a violent attack on an officer Monday. The police association, the union for the rank and file, has […]
Posted inCity
Caltrans fence forces homeless to find new camp
People who used to sleep under the Gilman/I-80 underpass are trying to adjust to their new cramped sleeping situation. Photo: Natalie Orenstein Responding to complaints that the homeless people who camped under the Gilman/I-80 underpass were engaged in criminal activity, Caltrans has fenced off the area — pushing the encampment onto a narrow strip nearby. […]
Posted inCrime
Police arrest man after ‘violent attack’ in West Berkeley
Carlos Alberto Delagarza was arrested On April 7, 2014 after attacking a police officer on Bolivar Drive which runs alongside Aquatic Park in Berkeley. Image: Google Maps Police arrested a 41-year-old man after he struggled with a Berkeley Police officer, tried to take his gun and jumped into the lagoon at Aquatic Park when the officer […]
Posted inCrime & Safety, Fire, Schools
Potentially hazardous chemical suicide in Berkeley called for collaborative response, cautious approach
The death by deadly chemical of a former UC Berkeley professor on Tuesday, March 18, triggered a significant joint command response and saw a city block shut down for more than six hours. Photo: David Yee The death by chemical suicide earlier this week of a former UC Berkeley professor left many in the community […]
Posted inCrime & Safety, Schools
Chemical suicide victim was UC Berkeley professor
Sydney Kustu, who was found dead at the Berkeley City Club on Tuesday March 18. Photo: UC Berkeley The woman who committed suicide using a toxic chemical on Tuesday at the Berkeley City Club, prompting a hazardous materials evacuation, was a former professor at UC Berkeley. She killed herself on her 71st birthday. Sydney Kustu was […]
Posted inCrime & Safety
Elderly woman commits suicide with toxic chemical at Berkeley City Club, leaves note to warn authorities
Police and fire personnel responded to a suicide with hazardous materials at the Berkeley City Club at 2315 Durant Ave. in Berkeley, on Tuesday, March 18, 2014. Photo: David Yee UPDATE, March 19: Authorities identified the woman who was found dead at the Berkeley City Club on Tuesday as 71-year-old Sydney Kustu. Read more about Kustu in […]
