Q: There are often shoes hanging over telephone wires in Berkeley. Does it mean anything? Answer by Sgt. Mary C. Kusmiss S-6 BPD Public Information Officer. A: Over the years, the numbers of pairs of shoes — in particular athletic or running shoes — that are hanging over wires above the streets has varied. Depending on what town, city, neighborhood, state and even country you live in, there are a litany of reasons that young and older people alike have engaged in this practice. One explanation that is often rumored is that hanging shoes is a way in which a gang or a drug dealer signals …

Q: How does the Berkeley Police Department deal with reports of gun shots? How do they respond when a witness can offer no other information other than they "heard what sounded like a gunshot" in the general neighborhood? Answer by Sgt. Mary C. Kusmiss S-6 BPD Public Information Officer. A: This is an excellent question and one that has many answers depending on the given situation. To start, the City of Berkeley Police Department (BPD) classifies “loud reports” as a high priority call. The reason may be obvious in that if there are gunshots or is gunfire, community members may be seriously …

Answers by Sgt. Mary C. Kusmiss S-6 BPD Public Information Officer. Q: The Berkeley Police Department increased patrols of South Berkeley in response to the shootings in December. Will the department continue to patrol the area?  A: Whenever there is a location, area or beat that is being challenged with violence, Berkeley Police Department (BPD) patrol officers dedicate extra attention/surveillance to the location, area or beat. With respect to BPD, there is policing work that is visible to the community — such as BPD officers driving, walking or riding bikes or motorcycles, making car stops…

Answers by Sgt. Mary C. Kusmiss, BPD Public Information Officer. Q. How BPD is monitoring/dealing with Occupy Berkeley?    A. Since the Occupy Berkeley Gathering developed, officers from the City of Berkeley Police Department (BPD) have focused attention on it. It is a gathering of individuals in our jurisdiction and within one of our beats, thus officers have become familiar with a peripheral sense of daily life there. Members of BPD have a responsibility to manage public safety and keep the peace throughout the city, thus the gathering in Civic Center Park has become part of our overall …

Q: What activities is the Berkeley Police Department involved in that the community may not be aware of? Answer by Sgt. Mary C. Kusmiss S-6 BPD Public Information Officer. A: The City of Berkeley Police Department (BPD) will enjoy answering this question as it is a good and interesting one. We must start by sharing that there are many activities that happen “behind the scenes” in terms of fighting crime, gathering information towards cases, special enforcement projects and searchwarrants that we cannot share as they would expose our tactics, creativity, potentially create dangerous situations…

Q: How is the Smart Boot Program going since it started? Answer by Sgt. Mary C. Kusmiss S-6 BPD Public Information Officer. The booting  program that began in the City of Berkeley on Oct. 18, 2011 is running very smoothly. The City of Berkeley Police Department (BPD) continues to work closely with the City of Berkeley Finance Department and PayLock Customer Service to best serve community members/vehicle owners. During the week of Oct. 31, 2011, the BPD Boot Team booted 58 vehicles and towed 12. Vehicles are towed 48 hours after booting. A total of 23 of the 58 were actually self-released. …

Q: Is there anything that makes BPD Unique or different from other police departments? Answer by Sgt. Mary C. Kusmiss S-6 BPD Public Information Officer. A: The City of Berkeley Police Department (BPD) has a rich history that contributed to the foundations of many departments across California, the United States and the field of law enforcement as a whole. The first chief of police, August Vollmer, is considered by many to be the “father of modern law enforcement.” At the very start, when Berkeley was incorporated in 1878, the city was policed and by an elected town Marshall. In 1905, August …

Berkeley Patch runs a Q&A series with the Berkeley Police Department each week. The Q&A is a way for the police and Berkeley residents to share important information and ask questions about crime in the community, discuss prevention, and learn about the workings of the department. Public Information Officer Sgt. Mary C. Kusmiss answers questions on a range of topics, providing tips on how to prevent laptop and smartphone theft, discussing what Berkeley residents can do to protect their homes from break-ins and burglaries, explaining how Berkeley police collaborate with other departments, and …

Q: What is a timely crime trend frequently committed in Berkeley, and what are the reasons for it and tips to prevent it? Answer by Sgt. Mary C. Kusmiss S-6 BPD Public Information Officer. A: This week, the Berkeley Police Department felt it timely and appropriate to talk about the theft and robbery of Smartphones, iPhones and laptops. As popular culture has evolved and changed, so has crime. Small portable items, easily concealed, have consistently been items that opportunists focus on stealing. There was the Walkman, then the Discman, then an explosion of MP3 players, most notably, the iPod…

Q: What can residents do to make their homes and apartments safer? Answer by Sgt. Mary C. Kusmiss S-6 BPD Public Information Officer. A: The City of Berkeley Police Department appreciates this question and dialogue very much. Property crime which includes burglary continues to be our collective greatest crime challenge. The City of Berkeley's statistics in this category are dropping, although we still feel that together we could be doing much better. We should point out that community members often confuse burglary and robbery. They call our Public Safety Communications Center and say "I have…

Q: What is the relationship between the Berkeley Police, the University Police, and the BART Police? How do you collaborate?  Answer by Sgt. Mary C. Kusmiss S-6 BPD Public Information Officer. A: Many community members and others may not know what positive and collaborative relationships we, the City of Berkeley Police Department (BPD), have with many of our neighboring agencies. Part of the reason is because much happens "behind the scenes," in phone calls, exchanges of information with emails and flyers, undercover work, surveillances and search warrants.  As a clarification, we cannot …

Q: How many reports of stolen bikes do you get, and what percentage do you recover? How do you find the bikes? Answer by Sgt. Mary C. Kusmiss S-6 BPD Public Information Officer. This is a great question and one that we hope community readers will be most interested in. Since Jan. 1, 2011, there have been 156 bicycles stolen in and throughout the City of Berkeley.  The period we searched was Jan. 1-July 26. Bikes of all types and sizes — including men’s, women’s, children’s, and adapted bikes — are stolen. There is not one type or specific trend as to what thieves steal. Bikes are stolen from …

Q: How many reports of stolen cars do you get, and what percentage do you recover?  Answer by Sgt. Mary C. Kusmiss S-6 BPD Public Information Officer. Thus far in the year 2011, the City of Berkeley Police Department (BPD) receives an average of between one to two cars stolen each day throughout the city. These numbers or more formally known as crime statistics have been steadily declining in recent years. As an example, since auto theft is a Part 1 Crime and reported to the FBI for the Uniform Crime Reporting Statistics, a community member can access their website and review the auto theft …

Q: What is the most frequently committed crime in Berkeley, and what are some tips to prevent it? Answer by Sgt. Mary C. Kusmiss S-6 BPD Public Information Officer. A: We, the City of Berkeley Police Department (BPD), would like to focus on a category of crime to answer this very important question. Property Crimes such as theft, burglary and auto theft have been the greatest crime challenges that the City of Berkeley community has consistently faced over the years. Small lifestyle changes can make a significant difference in reducing these crimes. Making an effort to close and lock all of …