Berkeley City Council Special Meeting: 2023 Police Department Annual Report - March 12, 2024

The Berkeley City Council held a special meeting on March 12, 2024, at 4:00 PM to receive and discuss the 2023 Berkeley Police Department Annual Report. The Police Department presented a comprehensive overview of staffing, crime statistics, traffic safety, use of force, accountability measures, and fair and impartial policing initiatives. Council members asked questions and offered comments, and public testimony was heard.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Mental Health Response: A speaker expressed concern that the police continue to respond to mental health crises despite the Specialized Care Unit (SEU), citing slow SEU response times (up to 2 hours) and a lack of a single triage dispatch line. The speaker advocated for a single dispatch line with appropriate resource allocation.
• Video Cameras and Business Safety: A business owner spoke in support of video cameras, sharing that his business has used them for 50 years with no robberies, and credited former Chief Dash Butler for his role in keeping the city safe.
• Ilana Auerbach: Raised three points: (1) questioned whether the gun violence prevention program uses evidence-based best practices, specifically whether police are excluded from the program; (2) challenged the classification of a "Jew Belong" billboard incident as an anti-Jewish hate crime, arguing that BPD's determination implies a political stance equating anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism; and (3) noted low solve rates (citing a February 2024 study by the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice) and asked for a plan to improve them.
• George Littman: Criticized the report for not addressing the fundamental racial disparity in stops—that approximately equal numbers of Black and white people are stopped, despite the white population being 6.5 to 7 times larger. He argued that focusing on discretionary stops alone misses institutional bias and that the three-pronged approach still includes discretionary elements. He urged the council to rely on the Police Accountability Board rather than solely on police self-oversight.
• Kelly Hammergren: Asked for details on the declining pool of police academy applicants and how the department maintains high standards amid this trend.
• City Auditor Jenny Wong: Thanked the police department for its responsiveness to audit recommendations, noting that BPD is one of the most cooperative departments, with three audits completed and many recommendations implemented.

Discussion Items

• Department Presentation: Police Chief Jennifer Willis and command staff presented on 2023 priorities (recruitment/retention, proactivity, internal communication), staffing (15 sworn offers made, dispatch hiring at a decade high), workload (911 calls at highest since 2017, average 6 calls per shift, 18-20 minutes per call), response times (7 minutes for priority 1), crime trends (violent crime up 10.5%, property crime up significantly, auto thefts surging to 1,350, hate crimes and incidents up sharply after October 7), traffic safety (873 collisions, 0 fatalities, speeding as top factor), use of force (0.54% of calls involved force, low rates across racial groups), and accountability (fair/impartial policing data showing near race-neutral stop and search patterns).
• Council Questions and Comments:
  • Mayor Arreguin: Expressed appreciation, asked about CSO positions (Chief noted these are temporary and hard to fill; making them permanent could help recruitment and career pathways), response time benchmarks (7 minutes is common standard), and sought clarification on collision factors (right-of-way violations consistent). He highlighted regional collaboration, hate crime increases, and the need for Vision Zero investments.
  • Vice Mayor Wengraf: Focused on dispatcher recruitment (noted progress, expects full staffing in 2 years) and asked about driver age in collisions (Captain Tate said deeper analysis is underway, but early data shows collisions among drivers 65+).
  • Coucilmember Hahn: Asked for the department's top 3-5 takeaways (Chief emphasized ongoing data-driven improvement, addressing regional crime, and balancing crime prevention with problem-solving). Hahn suggested issuing public action plans for specific crime spikes (e.g., carjackings) and discussed community bias in reporting.
  • Councilmember Humbert: Praised the department's professionalism and data-driven approach, expressed concern over staffing levels (down ~30 officers), highlighted Ashby Ave as the highest injury corridor, and emphasized the need for traffic safety measures.
  • Councilmember Kesarwani: Supported making CSO positions permanent, noted hate crime concerns, asked about Vision Zero integration (Captain Tate affirmed regular rapid response meetings), and raised property crime prevention (ALPR cameras, enforcement, regional cooperation).

Key Outcomes

• No formal vote was taken on the annual report; it was a work session for discussion only.
• A motion to adjourn the special meeting was made and seconded, and passed unanimously (6-0, with Councilmembers Taplin and Bartlett absent).
• The city manager and police department were directed to continue efforts on recruitment, data analysis, and implementation of fair and impartial policing initiatives.
• The department will provide an audit update in May 2024.
• The council indicated openness to making CSO positions permanent and to supporting traffic safety and hate crime response efforts.