65D - POLICE OVERSIGHT - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Police Review Commission 2019 Annual Report Page 21 Surveillance Technology Use & Community Safety Ordinance The aim of the Surveillance Technology Use & Community Safety Ordinance is to provide public discussions of potential intrusions into civil liberties and privacy rights implicated by using a particular surveillance technology, to ensure that any such intrusions are outweighed by the benefits of that technology. The City Council adopted this ordinance in 2018 based on a PRC proposal and, in late 2019, the City Manager made her first report to the Council under the Ordinance. In advance of the City Manager's report, the Police Chief sent acquisition and use policies for three surveillance technologies (body -worn cameras, automated license plate readers, and GPS trackers) to the PRC for review. The PRC reviewed the three surveillance technologies with the balancing test in mind and submitted its input to the Council. Fair & Impartial Policing Addressing apparent race -based disparities in policing outcomes continues to be a focus of the PRC. In November, Mayor Arreguin established a Working Group on Fair & Impartial Policing, naming a variety of stakeholders, including community members, academics, and police department personnel, to the body. PRC Commissioners Calavita, Mizell, and Ramsey were appointed to this working group, and Commissioner Ramsey was selected to be its chairperson. This group is tasked with analyzing relevant information and developing a departmental action plan to address disparities in police stops, searches, use of force, and yield rate from stops, and to build a foundation for a subsequent community process to build trust between Berkeley Police and the community. The working group plans to complete its work in 2020. Spit Hoods A BPD policy that received particular scrutiny was Policy 302, Handcuffing and Restraints, as some argued that the provision for using spit hoods should be banned as unnecessary and inhumane. The PRC recommended a policy allowing the use of spit hoods, with some modifications, while also endorsing the BPD's commitment to crisis intervention training (CIT) and de-escalation tactics, and use other methods of restraint when possible. The City Council was asked to weigh in on the use of spit hoods, but could not agree on a policy change. The BPD issued Policy 302 with the PRC's recommendations. 65D-38