Report Police Misconduct
Berkeley Copwatch is gathering video footage, photographs and eye witness acounts of police activity in Berkeley.
HOW do I report police misconduct?
Email Berkeleycopwatch@yahoo.com to make an appointment with us.
HOW can I prepare for an appointment?
Below is an example of the types of questions you will be asked to either verbalize or write down when reporting an incident to Copwatch. You do not need to have answers to every question, but please come as prepared as possible.
-
Date, time and place of the incident: Exact location/intersection if applicable.
-
Police officer(s) involved: Name, badge #, department and physical description.
-
Subject(s) of police encounter: Name and contact information.
-
Witnesses: Name and contact information.
-
Multimedia: Videographer/photographer name, camera #, device type, videos uploaded?
-
Call type: Dispatch or officer initiated?
-
Description of incident: Reason for stop, injuries, identifying details, demographics, result of stop, other agencies present, relevant media filenames and timecodes.
-
Additional follow-up required?: Yes/no
WHEN can I make a report?
It is best to report as close to the time of the incident as possible, for the purposes of maintaining accurate memories and meeting legal deadlines. The deadline for formal complaints are often 90 days from the date of the incident.
WHY report?
By doing an incident report with Copwatch, you are helping to hold Berkeley police accountable for their misconduct. This data is crucial in helping Berkeley Copwatch fight for police accountability across the city and making it a safer place for community members.
On an individual level, Berkeley Copwatch can connect you or those affected to legal resources and/or filing a complaint with the Police Accountability Board.
WHAT kind of content does Berkeley Copwatch accept?
We are able to accept video, photos, documents, media, as well as eyewitness accounts that do not include footage or visual evidence.
We require that the footage involves police activity and require that the date/location can be identified. The location of the incident must be in Berkeley.
If the incident happened outside of the city of Berkeley or did not involve police officer(s), we are happy to refer you to other resources.
Any questions?
Send us an email! Berkeleycopwatch@yahoo.com