The Berkeley Police Accountability Board (PAB) gathered on June 26, 2024 for a brief meeting. One main portion of the meeting was a report from Berkeley Police Department’s Deputy Chief Jen Tate. Tate announced that the budget to update the Early Intervention System (EIS) had been approved. A few meetings back, the PAB and City Council agreed that the EIS was not a good tool for identifying police misconduct because it used randomized auditing. The usage of randomized auditing is problematic because the EIS is designed to recognize and stop negative trends, which it cannot coherently track if the data is randomized. Tate also stated that the Berkeley Police Department (BPD) will formally announce the new Office of Strategic Planning and Accountability (OSPA). The OSPA’s main mission will be to aid in the renovation of the EIS and support policies that promote effectiveness and equity, according to Tate.

Tate also addressed a concern previously brought up in a public comment. The speaker was concerned about the utilization of BPD officers as private security for private companies, such as Apple. They stated that this process is unsustainable and would lead to overworked and underpaid officers.  Tate clarified that the BPD only permits this when it’s properly staffed, and the officer is compensated for their overtime hours by Apple. She also clarified that currently, the BPD is short-staffed and does not provide BPD officers for Apple or other private entities.

Several subcommittees had updates too, such as the Regulations Subcommittee that will be holding a second meeting with labor negotiators on July 3rd. The Policy Subcommittee will be meeting with Tate and Sergeant Samantha Speelman on June 27th to discuss matters relating to the EIS and the new OSPA.

Board Member Joshua Cayetano said he wondered if the policy on the EIS should move to the Policy Subcommittee or stay as it is. As of now, Cayetano serves as a liaison between the PAB and BPD on matters related to the EIS. However, Cayetano said he thought that the number of meetings between the PAB and the BPD will increase, so using the Policy Subcommittee instead as a liaison would decrease the amount of time needed for the process.

Other topics of discussion included ways to boost the PAB’s community engagement and meeting attendance which are currently low. Chloe Park, an intern for the Office of the Director of Police Accountability, presented to the PAB updates on several community forums being planned. These forums would take place during the summer and later in 2024, with each forum revolving around the BPD’s use of force policy. Many Board Members also liked the idea of community events or forums centered around the use of force, the annual report, or other subjects that would engage the public.

Future agenda items for the PAB could include a presentation from the BPD on the new OSPA and how it will relate to the PAB’s oversight work.

–Zoey Yan