SuperBOLD

For Immediate Release:
Berkeley City Council Meetings on Police Department (BPD) Agreements

Tues. June 19, 2012
5pm Worksession
7pm Action Agenda
Old City Hall, 2134 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way, Berkeley

Contacts:
Gene Bernardi (510) 843-2152 Jane Welford (510)548-6310 Dan Hubbell (504) 231-3363


ARMORED VEHICLE, NEIGHBOR SNITCHING, ICE Pickups in BERKELEY SANCTUARY?

June 19 at 5pm, the Berkeley City Council will hold a Worksession on the BPD agreements for fiscal 2012. In addition to the Police Review Commission’s conditioned proposal, the Peace and Justice Commission’s recommendation, the Police chief’s response, Councilmember(s) proposal(s), a speaker from the ACLU of Northern California is expected, and perhaps others.

BPD, UC AND ALBANY POLICE WANT ARMORED VEHICLE FROM UASI.
The North County Tactical Working Group (NCTWG) consisting of the BPD, UC and Albany police is requesting from a Homeland Security program, i.e. the Urban Areas Security Initiative, which holds urban warfare exercises with local police departments, an armored vehicle, namely, the Lenco Bearcat (Ballistic Engineered Armored Response Counter Attack Truck). The NCTWG states, the armored vehicle is needed for “large incidents” such as CAL games and the Solano Stroll.

BPD TEACHES NEIGHBORS HOW TO REPORT SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITIES
BPD has assigned four Area Commanders to hold neighborhood meetings in local cafes at which community members will learn, among other things, how to submit Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs). SARs are the core of the BPD agreement, Northern California Regional Intelligence Center, (NCRIC) coordinated with the FBI’s Bay Area Joint Terrorism Task Force. SARs can be submitted on non-criminal behaviors such as taking a photo of a building, writing in a notebook, wearing a headscarf or a hoodie. N.Y. Times (7/5/04) has reported that the FBI is looking for African terrorists in neighborhoods where they can blend in.

At the 5/29/12 Worksession on BPD Community Engagement Initiatives, the Police Chief gave an equivocal response to Mayor Bates question whether neighbors’ SARs would be forwarded to other agencies.

COUNCILMEMBER PROPOSES ICE HAVE 24 HOURS TO PICK UP UNDOCUMENTED
Councilmember Jesse Arreguin weakens Police Review Commission’s (PRC) position on ICE (Immigration Customs Enforcement) civil immigration detainers. PRC requests BPD be prohibited from complying with civil immigration detainers to hold inmates beyond their time of release, allowing ICE to take custody of the inmates. Arreguin’s proposed amendment states “no ICE detainer shall be honored for more than 24 hours after the time the arrestee would otherwise be released”.