Berkeley Copwatch News Today

Four candidates enter race for Berkeley's District 4 City Council seat

Eligible voters in Berkeley’s District 4 will get to cast their votes to elect a new District 4 City Council member in a special election May 28.

The multimillion-dollar cost for UC Berkeley of walling off People's Park will grow with bills from outside agencies and continued security to keep people out.

BART has reported positive feedback from riders following updated safety measures, which include an increase in police presence in March. However, not all riders attribute feelings of safety to these changes.

Campus hosted an hour-long live discussion Sept. 12 with campus spokesperson Dan Mogulof and UCPD Chief of Police Yogananda Pittman, who spoke about UCPD and took questions from live attendees.

In 2022, seven of the ten highest paid public officials in the city of Berkeley were members of the police department, according to data from the California state controller's Government Compensation in California database. 

Law institutions, specifically law enforcement, have undoubtedly impacted the lives of civilians and their civil rights and liberties. 

Berkeley police stop data from October 2022 to April 2023 revealed that Black and Hispanic/Latine residents were stopped at disproportionate rates compared to white residents.

Berkeley council members voted to confirm Jen Louis as Berkeley Police Department’s chief of police May 9.

A staffing shortage at the Berkeley Police Department, or BPD, has led to a cut in patrol assignments. While the department previously operated on a 16-beat configuration, they have transitioned to a 14-beat map.