Politics & Government

Berkeley Police Express Concern About the Actions of Their Chief

Berkeley Police Officers aren't standing by their man

The rank and file of the Berkeley Police Department aren’t standing by the actions of their chief Michael Meehan, according to the Bay Area City News. 

At a town meeting last Thursday, Berkeley Police Chief Meehan answered questions about the police’s handling of Peter Cukor’s murder. A few hours after the meeting, at 12:45 Friday morning, Meehan sent his public information officer Mary Kusmiss to the Berkeley home of reporter Doug Oakley. Meehan tried to get the reporter to make changes to a story at 1 a.m. and Oakley refused, saying he would consider the changes in the morning.

Since then Meehan's come under intense fire from the press, and now it seems his own rank and file officers, according to the Bay City News, are gravely concerned by his actions.

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Read more from the Bay City News:

Members of the Berkeley Police Association, which represents thecity's officers, said in a statement that they "stand with our community and share in their concerns about the appearance and correctness of the chief's orders."

Find out what's happening in Berkeleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

They also said they "are gravely concerned about the impact his actions will have on our ability to maintain the vital trust of the community we serve."

Police union members said, "We are committed to providing the best possible service to the community, and protecting the constitutional rights of the citizens of Berkeley to whom we ultimately answer."

They said, "We do not believe that the actions taken by Chief Meehan represent the will, spirit, or sentiment of the membership of the Berkeley Police Association."


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