• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Subscribe to the Magazine
American Police Beat

American Police Beat Magazine

Law Enforcement Publication

  • Home
  • Editor’s Picks
    • The power of teamwork
      Stay awake and alert on the job
      The worst rank in law enforcement
      Firearms maintenance
      Why fries need salt
  • Topics
    • On the Job
      • Heroic Pennsylvania officer saves father and daughter from drowning...
        Denver law enforcement struggle to divert low-level offenders to...
        “The good guys won …”
        “Service was running through his veins”: Condolences pour in for...
        Atlanta police officer and fire rescue captain save trapped driver...
    • Labor
      • “A financial tsunami”
        LAPD officers receive raises, bonuses
        Minnesota police force faces disbandment as chief resigns amid salary...
        We quit!
        California police departments offer lucrative signing bonuses to...
    • Tech
      • The rise of I2P
        Ann Arbor Police Department adopts AI technology to analyze body...
        Ohio law enforcement adopts powerful ballistics technology to combat...
        AI-powered surveillance program raises concerns over privacy rights...
        Chesterfield County announces real-time crime center to enhance...
    • Training
      • CIT training is not for everyone
        Mentoring: Leave ’em better than you found ’em
        Ohio struggles to secure permanent funding for law enforcement...
        Firearm instructors: Just be better!
        Influencing your performance on and off duty
    • Policy
      • New Texas law gives local law enforcement greater control over...
        Diversity in law enforcement
        Florida attorney general and John Walsh partner in new Crime Stoppers...
        Supreme Court to weigh in on whether Idaho police K-9’s paw...
        See you later, Seattle
    • Health/Wellness
      • Working through grief
        Responding to trauma
        “Why does that call keep haunting me?”
        A Message to Those Considering Suicide
        The meaning of pain
    • Community
      • “Live every day like it’s your last”
        National Night Out 2023
        Colorado Springs residents meet with city officials to discuss...
        Seattle police recruits build community relationships in unique...
        Dream come true: Massachusetts 5-year-old becomes honorary junior...
    • Offbeat
      • Alligator on the loose in New Jersey captured after two-week chase
        Traffic stop by TV’s Dog the Bounty Hunter’s son leads to...
        Bone-chilling: Human skull found in donation box at Arizona Goodwill...
        CATastrophe avoided: Indiana troopers rescue kitten trapped under...
        Shopper dressed as a cowboy and armed with fake gun causes scare at...
    • We Remember
      • Headstone finally marks grave of Pennsylvania officer who gave his...
        Memorial for the fallen: The sacrifice continues
        Paying Tribute to the Fallen Heroes of 9/11
        “He was like a protector …”: Genesee County sheriff’s deputy...
        Deadly police pursuit claims life of 19-year-old Vermont police...
  • On the Job
    • Heroic Pennsylvania officer saves father and daughter from drowning...
      Denver law enforcement struggle to divert low-level offenders to...
      “The good guys won …”
      “Service was running through his veins”: Condolences pour in for...
      Atlanta police officer and fire rescue captain save trapped driver...
  • Labor
    • “A financial tsunami”
      LAPD officers receive raises, bonuses
      Minnesota police force faces disbandment as chief resigns amid salary...
      We quit!
      California police departments offer lucrative signing bonuses to...
  • Tech
    • The rise of I2P
      Ann Arbor Police Department adopts AI technology to analyze body...
      Ohio law enforcement adopts powerful ballistics technology to combat...
      AI-powered surveillance program raises concerns over privacy rights...
      Chesterfield County announces real-time crime center to enhance...
  • Training
    • CIT training is not for everyone
      Mentoring: Leave ’em better than you found ’em
      Ohio struggles to secure permanent funding for law enforcement...
      Firearm instructors: Just be better!
      Influencing your performance on and off duty
  • Policy
    • New Texas law gives local law enforcement greater control over...
      Diversity in law enforcement
      Florida attorney general and John Walsh partner in new Crime Stoppers...
      Supreme Court to weigh in on whether Idaho police K-9’s paw...
      See you later, Seattle
  • Health/Wellness
    • Working through grief
      Responding to trauma
      “Why does that call keep haunting me?”
      A Message to Those Considering Suicide
      The meaning of pain
  • Community
    • “Live every day like it’s your last”
      National Night Out 2023
      Colorado Springs residents meet with city officials to discuss...
      Seattle police recruits build community relationships in unique...
      Dream come true: Massachusetts 5-year-old becomes honorary junior...
  • Offbeat
    • Alligator on the loose in New Jersey captured after two-week chase
      Traffic stop by TV’s Dog the Bounty Hunter’s son leads to...
      Bone-chilling: Human skull found in donation box at Arizona Goodwill...
      CATastrophe avoided: Indiana troopers rescue kitten trapped under...
      Shopper dressed as a cowboy and armed with fake gun causes scare at...
  • We Remember
    • Headstone finally marks grave of Pennsylvania officer who gave his...
      Memorial for the fallen: The sacrifice continues
      Paying Tribute to the Fallen Heroes of 9/11
      “He was like a protector …”: Genesee County sheriff’s deputy...
      Deadly police pursuit claims life of 19-year-old Vermont police...
  • Between the Lines
    • Debunking the perpetual narrative of racial bias in policing
      The unspoken truth behind the recruitment and retention crisis
      The police reform goal: use of force without options
      The imprisonment of law enforcement technology
      Persecution of the LEO is classic schadenfreude
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
Search

Policy

Berkeley passes sweeping police reforms

APB Team Published March 6, 2021 @ 1:00 pm PST

Simon Cobb, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Berkeley City Council has unanimously approved and passed a package of police reforms aimed at reducing racial disparities and conflicts in policing, which come on the back of the city’s $9 million reduction in police funding last July.

Importantly, the reforms stipulate that police will no longer be able to make routine stops for minor traffic violations unless under the pretense of an investigation into a more significant crime, as reported by Mercury News. This means that traffic stops due to non-safety-related issues like a broken taillight, expired registration, or a seat belt violation would be eliminated. Traffic stops related to the search of a suspect or a stolen vehicle, however, would still be warranted.

The changes coming to the police of the progressive Bay Area city are not limited to traffic enforcement, but also include obtaining written consent for searches, preventing officers from asking questions about parole or probation status in most circumstances, as well as reviewing officers’ social media accounts for any racist content, while implementing a so-called “Early Intervention System” to weed out biased officers.

The reforms come in the wake of several high-profile incidents in recent years, including the death of George Floyd, and their associated protests calling for police reform. Responsible for the development of these new reforms is the Fair and Impartial Policing Group, formed in November 2019 with the help of council member Kate Harrison. The group looks to address racial disparities in police stops, searches, and use-of-force, to resolve conflict between the community and police members.

Berkeley Police Chief Andrew Greenwood commented that many of the recommendations were already part of the patchwork of their original policies, but other changes may require greater “heavy lifting” to adapt to.

As for the Early Intervention System, Greenwood notes that the department already keeps track of officers’ behavior and related complaints, as well as a history of vehicle collisions and use-of-force, but that “there is room for improvements.” The system aims to identify officers who may be on the path to misconduct. Because of the grey area and inherent subjectivity involved in making these decisions, many in the police community are unhappy about the decision.

The Berkeley Police Association issued a statement opposing the reforms, declaring that they would create “significant safety consequences for citizens and officers.”

“At stake is the safety of Berkeley citizens and its police officers, as the proposed reforms will tur officers into filing clerks, gutting their much-needed time on the streets within our community,” said Sgt. Darren Kacelek, president of the association.

Mayor Jesse Arreguin advocated for the changes based on a report by the non-profit organization, the Center for Policing Equity, which found that blacks and Hispanics were stopped and searched at a much higher rate than whites.

He told Fox KTVU, “We think this will not only reduce racial disparities in stops, but allow police to focus on more serious and dangerous behavior.”

Categories: Policy, Community

Primary Sidebar

Recent Articles

  • New Texas law gives local law enforcement greater control over dispatching AMBER Alerts
  • Headstone finally marks grave of Pennsylvania officer who gave his life during historic 1889 flood
  • Working through grief
  • Heroic Pennsylvania officer saves father and daughter from drowning in sinking truck
  • Denver law enforcement struggle to divert low-level offenders to resource center
  • CIT training is not for everyone
  • “A financial tsunami”
  • “The good guys won …”
  • Responding to trauma
  • “Service was running through his veins”: Condolences pour in for fallen Los Angeles deputy

Footer

Our Mission
To serve as a trusted voice of the nation’s law enforcement community, providing informative, entertaining and inspiring content on interesting and engaging topics affecting peace officers today.

Contact us: info@apbweb.com | (800) 234-0056.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

Categories

  • Editor’s Picks
  • On the Job
  • Labor
  • Tech
  • Training
  • Policy
  • Health/Wellness
  • Community
  • Offbeat
  • We Remember
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Events

Editor’s Picks

The power of teamwork

The power of teamwork

July 23, 2021

Stay awake and alert on the job

Stay awake and alert on the job

July 20, 2021

The worst rank in law enforcement

The worst rank in law enforcement

July 19, 2021

Firearms maintenance

Firearms maintenance

July 04, 2021

Privacy Policy | Your Privacy Options | Notice at Collection | Copyright © 2023 APB Media, LLC | Website design, development and maintenance by 911MEDIA

Open

Subscribe

Close

Receive the latest news and updates from American Police Beat directly to your inbox!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.