Daniel Jordan DeWitt, who was charged with the Feb. 18 Berkeley hills murder of Peter Cukor, is not mentally competent to stand trial, a judge ruled Thursday. Two doctors examined DeWitt and both concluded the 23-year old did not understand the charges filed against him nor could he help in his own defense, Assistant Public […]
Peter Cukor
Posted inCrime & Safety
Berkeley City orders investigation into Police Chief
This story was rewritten at 2:50 pm for the purposes of clarity. The City of Berkeley has ordered an investigation into Police Chief Michael Meehan following his decision to send an officer to a reporter’s home at 12:45 am on March 9 asking him to make a correction. The statement by Interim City Manager Christine […]
Posted inCity, Crime & Safety
Spotlight on city manager’s response to Chief Meehan
While eyes across the country are focused on Berkeley’s City Hall to see how it responds to Police Chief Michael Meehan’s attempts to get a reporter to change his story, the eyes at City Hall are all focused on Interim City Manager Christine Daniel. With just a six-month contract that is due to expire in […]
Posted inCrime & Safety
Few comments on Chief Meehan before Council session
Expectations that many members of the Berkeley community would turn up at the public comment part of a closed session of the City Council Monday night to express their views on the recent incident concerning Berkeley Police Chief Michael Meehan were not met. Fewer than 20 people showed up at City Hall, and only a handful spoke ahead […]
Posted inCity, Crime & Safety
Questions remain about Berkeley police chief’s actions
Update 2:10 pm: Statement from Berkeley Police Association added below. A contrite Berkeley police chief spent Saturday afternoon fielding calls from the media to explain why he ordered a sergeant to go the house of a reporter at 12:45 a.m. on Friday to ask for changes in an article the chief thought was inaccurate. Chief […]
Posted inCrime & Safety
At 12:45 a.m., police chief demands reporter make changes
Update 2:30 pm. City officials respond to incident: Statement from Interim City Manager Christine Daniel: I take this situation very seriously. We understand and appreciate the depth of response to this incident. The value of the free press in our society is fundamental to who we are as a people. Our organization deeply values our […]
Posted inCrime, Crime & Safety
Community gathers after murder, quizzes Berkeley police
An estimated 150-200 people turned out on Thursday evening to Northbrae Community Church on The Alameda in north Berkeley to ask the Berkeley Police Department about their response to the Feb. 18 murder of Park Hills resident Peter Cukor. There was a palpable sense of anxiety in the room as the meeting got under way […]
Posted inCrime & Safety
Live coverage: Berkeley community meeting after murder
[View the story “March 8 Berkeley community meeting in wake of Peter Cukor homicide” on Storify]
Posted inCrime, Crime & Safety
Berkeley shows big decline in violent and property crime
Total crime was down in Berkeley last year by 14%, a result that councilmembers hailed as “great news” when the annual crime report was presented at last night’s City Council meeting. Violent crime fell 9%, from 531 crimes in 2010 to 482 in 2011. Property crime fell 15%, from 5,941 to 5,071. Only the small […]
Posted inCity, Crime & Safety
Police: We responded properly to Cukor’s murder
Berkeley police have reviewed the agency’s actions on the night Peter Cukor was murdered and do not believe they took any missteps, Berkeley Police Chief Michael Meehan said Thursday. But media reports have created the inaccurate impression that police ignored an emergency call from Cukor because they were too busy monitoring an Occupy march. That […]
Posted inCrime, Crime & Safety
Councilwoman calls meeting after Berkeley murder
Councilmember Susan Wengraf (District 6) has called a town hall meeting to discuss public safety in the wake of the Feb. 18 murder of Peter Cukor outside his home in north Berkeley. Police Chief Michael Meehan and City Manager Christine Daniel will both be in attendance, as will a supervising dispatcher, and BPD Area Coordinator […]
Posted inCrime, Crime & Safety
Murder trial delayed for psychological assessment
Judge Sandra Bean yesterday delayed the trial of homicide suspect Daniel Jordan DeWitt so that two doctors could assess him for mental competence under section 1368 of the California Penal Code. On Wednesday, DeWitt was charged with felony murder and use of a deadly weapon in the killing of Peter Cukor outside his home in […]