Berkeley Police Department

this police department is very nice and friendly called the non emergency hot line to file a police report against walgreen a very nice officer came down on his bike to assist me with my issue with walgreens and the officer got my money back i would just like to thank this police department for there assistant and i would like to let the supervisor in charge of this police department know that who ever this officer was that came out on january 30 2016 was very nice and i hope he get promoted and get a raise for the excellent work he did and

Easy breezy to take care of fix-​it ticket from Alameda County Sheriff. I had a tail light out so I got a ticket and had to fix the bulb. Once fixed, I needed an officer to sign off on it. So I stopped in here and within 15 minutes, a lieutenant came out to inspect the tail light and I was merrily on my way.

Poor front desk help. Police officers themselves, however, were kind and of great help.

Took Berkeley pd to COURT and the BERKELEY POLICE OFFICER never showed up. Case was dismissed! Does that mean I lied?

The only reason why I’m giving them one star is because you have to in order to leave a review. I would think twice when moving into Berzerky. I was involved in an accident during lunch time at Ashby & Shattuck. One of the most busiest intersections in town w/​no camaras! I had the green light going south when a car ran the red heading north on Ashby. I didn’t have any time to react and hit them. I was stunned at what just happened and didn’t think of getting any witnesses’ testimonies as I was more concerned with the other occupants. Hard lesson to learn now. I didn’t think there was going to be an issue until I heard the occupants saying «they had the green light.»
Police report and photos were taken. My van is totalled, and I suffered whiplash. Since there are no witnesses and they other party is claiming they had the green light their insurance denied my claim. I still wasn’t too concerned cause I thought PD would do a traffic anaylsis since they have the personnel on staff to do them. And, especially when both parties are saying the same thing!
So I email the officier who took the report asking why wouldn’t they do the analysis. His reponse was because it’s feasible!?! WTF… for whom… They don’t want to do their due diligence in finding a resolution for either party and pass the buck back to the resident. And you wonder why CA is most the most litigious state in the US. An attorney won’t take my case not unless I had a witness. Now why would I need an attorney if I had a witness. Is everyone really that stupid or what?
Why have insurance companies or police departments when neither one of them want to do there stupid ass jobs?
Totally frustrated, and would never move to Berzerky. Don’t even move to California if you’re contemplating it. It’s overrated, overinflated, pay the highest taxes, an entitlement state see where I’m going with this?

I used to have some respect for these guys. That respect is gone.
I had my first car accident last night in downtown Berkeley. The lazy cop who showed up said «no injuries, no police report. this goes through insurance».
He looked at me and drove off. Is this the best you can do? I wish you were sent to East Los Angeles where the real action is.

1 star but more like 0 stars for horrible service from people who are suppose to «serve & protect» I called in at 4:19am non emergency line to report disturbance from my neighbor who is bipolar, who has episodes when he doesn’t take his medication. Woke up myself & my 2 kids who are a year & a half & 2 and a half months. So it’s 5:10am & still no one has even come by. How awful. The landlord has advised me to call the police, the neighbors own family advised me to call the police but what’s the point of calling if they don’t even come out?! GREAT job BPD! In the most sarcastic voice!

Berkeley Non-​Emergency Police:
Yesterday, I saw a cat on wandering around on the freeway and I was worried that it would get run over or cause some sort of traffic or accident. So, I called the Berkeley Animal Services but they were closed and it said to call the Berkeley Non-​Emergency Police line. So I called the Berkeley Non-​Emergency Police line and was greeted by a very rude person. I asked if they could pick up the cat wandering the freeway and he quickly said «NO!» and when I said that I tried calling the Berkeley Animal Services, he didn’t even let me finish my sentence before quickly and rudely saying «They’re closed.» Then, when I pointed out that the cat could die, he said «No, we are not going to pick up a CAT!» His tone made it seem like it was the dumbest question in the world. (He may just be a cat hater)
I understand that picking up a cat from the freeway wasn’t in his job description and they probably have more important things to do but his tone and the way he dealt with the situation was just horrible. The way he was talking to me just sounded like I was the dumbest thing on the face of the Earth and that I ruined his whole entire day just by calling and asking such a stupid question.
I have never heard anyone so rude and mean just from one simple question. All he had to say was «No, sorry, we can’t do that.» Simple as that, but instead he made me feel like I was worse than trash.

A friend of mine had the same experience I had almost 30 years ago, so I will relate this here. He, like I, had his wallet stolen in Berkeley, in one of the outdoor equipment stores. A while later, he was called by the BPD to come pick up his wallet. When he arrived, he was asked for ID. When he said that all of his ID was in the wallet, he was told that it was irrelevant. He had to go home and get something to show «proof», even though his picture was on the DMV licence that was in the wallet.
Perhaps this is understandable these days, but it would have been nice if he were told beforehand.

Truly disappointed with the department’s handling of the protesters over the past few days. I was in L. A when the protests started there and LAPD had things much more grounded. LAPD seemed to offer some space to the protesters and tried not to move against them (as reported by the local news stations). Not up here. Very unfortunate the scene in Berkeley. It looked like the cops just went into auto-​attack.

I’m incredibly grateful to the Berkeley police for a number of reasons:
1) When I lived in a really crummy neighborhood, the beat officer gave us his cell phone so that we could call directly when there was a crime going on.
2) When Summit Hospital sent me a letter saying my identity had been stolen from their computer system, a Berkeley police officer helped me file a report right away and was sympathetic to this ordeal.
3) Whenever I call, whoever answers, is very pleasant and on times when I’ve needed to meet with an officer, I feel comfortable and secure.
I don’t know about other police officers in other areas of the country, but I’m quite pleased with Berkeley Police Force and have found them to be dedicated to the safety of neighborhoods and really easy to talk with them.

I have no idea what the police even do here. Stopped by to get a fix-​it ticket (for tinted windows) signed, and was directed to CHP in Oakland. Any police officer can sign off on that citation, and when I tried to politely explain that to the receptionist, she got a hard look on her face and said that no police officer at this station would check my windows. I was literally parked right outside, and it would’ve taken someone two minutes max to step out and sign off on my citation. Meanwhile, officers were drinking coffee and chatting with the other receptionists in plain view from where I was standing. It’d be one thing if the police were out fighting crime or cleaning up the streets or whatever, but chilling and refusing to get off their butts for a MINUTE at 2pm on a Monday? Incredibly frustrating. Not happy to be a taxpayer right now.

I would just like to take a moment and congratulate the Berkeley PD for continuing to be some of the biggest jerks you could ever possibly have the displeasure of encountering. Way to protect and serve, worthless pigs.

For such a large patrol force, response time is terrible. «Emergency response» first… Com on. Can’t protect your businesses or people so that 5 cars can pull over 3 girls in a Prius that ran a yellow. Get real.

Well from 5 to 1, There is no visible cops downtown Berkeley, crazy-​homeless people get away with anything. So if you want to do drugs, vandalize, robe and act insane and get away with it, you know where to go. The Chief of police and the Mayor are not worth my tax money.

Apparently I now owe on a 123 dollar ticket I’ve never heard or received a notification for. The officer didn’t even write the street name on the ticket, just the number of the building but NO STREET. O_​o That could be anywhere in town, so I can’t even trace back to see if I deserved to get a ticket.
Worse, because I never got notice on my windshield or in the mail, it is too late to contest this mystery ticket from non-​existent street.
City of Berkeley I am Furious!
EDIT:
I still give the parking/​ticket service at berkeley 1 star, but I don’t want to reflect on the actual cops of berkeley who have been kind, and not ridiculous in their application of the law. I had a friend with some domestic violence disputes and I won’t get into it, but berkeley cops were very patient and helpful.
Seriously though ya’ll, fix this parking this, but besides that, good cops for a great city!

Berkeley Parking Enforcement (aka Meter Maids) use bizzaro strict tactics to write tickets. Get this… Im in a YELLOW zone, sitting in a pickup truck with commercial plates… and a male Meter Maid says I cannot occupy a space if Im in the truck. I can only be actively loading or unloading. What about contractors?
So he says I have 5 mins to leave or get a ticket.

I’m not some kind of anarchist or hippie drug user that hates all police officers because they are part of the establishment. In fact, I’m writing this review at 12AM on a Friday while watching Grey’s Anatomy on my couch. I love the police. I wave at them from my car. I smile at them on the street. They make me feel safe.
Out of all the places I’ve lived (NYC, Dallas, and smaller towns in MA and FL), the police in Berkeley is the worst. They seem utterly disinterested in their own jobs and do not exhibit any tact or grace in dealing with the public.
Awhile back, the property next door was empty and a group of homeless dudes took up residence. They would light fires in trash cans, engage in loud sex and get into fights with hammers. Really. Fights. With Hammers. I called the police 2 – 3 times a night and they never did anything. One time they sent an office out and all he did was knock on my door and explain to me why I should stop calling (because I couldn’t prove the homeless people weren’t residents or didn’t have permission to engage in anal sex on the porch). It is bad enough that they didn’t do anything, but when I can’t sleep in the middle of the night, I don’t need some dude knocking on my door and lecturing me while I stand in my own home in my nightgown.
I have twice had idiots park right in front of my driveway. Once, they refused to tow them because they felt the owner would return to the car before they could even find a tow truck (it took them over an hour to show up – they could have just called the tow truck when they got the report from me, but that would just make too much sense). The second time, they never showed and the owner moved the car after 3 hours of me being trapped in my apartment.
They never responded to my dangerous den of homeless dudes or cars being parked in front of my driveway, but one time, a friend showed up completely unexpectedly and, when I wasn’t there at 4PM on a Friday, became scared and called 911 (he is very anxious). The police sent someone out right away. Where are their priorities?

This crowd is arrogance pure! Hidden away in their massive structure on MLK, so all we got was phone service from a nasty woman who refused to even have the courtesy to come downstairs and speak to us — although we were told by the polite desk personnel that someone would — AND she refused to give us her name, only a badge # (Yes, Virginia, it seems that some cops DO hide behind their badges). This phone cop also played the roles of judge and jurors (!) during her tirade, insisting she would NOT take a report on the Berkeley Animal Care Services defrauding me of my dog and giving it to a police officer because I was WRONG!
I am now convinced that Berkeley is only interested in a ‘Sanctuary State’ for illegals and that the police department itself is riddled with laziness, liars, and a «Good Old Boy/​Girl» membership mentality whereby the cops here stick with the animal cops at BACS, who ‘knowingly and willfully’, defrauded me of my dog, Paddy, being fully aware that they would be protected by the Berkeley Police Department.
People once went to the Police for help… really? Then why is a police officer refusing to return my three year old service Lab? Because he is protected by his own kind and he likes the power. Never mind the big salary because a cop can buy his own dog. Definitely the power. Check out this for a chief’s opinion-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dhSlcyU8oA

Aside from getting street sweeping tickets which suck, my experiences where I’ve corresponded with BPD have generally been good… They’ve always been pretty responsive, even with little things. Here’s briefly a few of my experiences…
I currently live in a kind of sketchy part of Berkeley. I call them whenever I hear gun shots. Usually within minutes I’ll see a patrol car rolling down the street. One time after I called in about gun shots, they came knocking at my door. Apparently they found casings on the street and wanted to know more about what I heard. It made me feel like they really took it seriously.
Some years ago I was living alone in another apartment and some unknown guy was knocking at my door at 3 am, trying to open and get in. It scared the crap out of me and I called the cops. After they showed up I think I remember they informed me over the phone he was drunk and now sitting in the back of a cop car (presumably on his way to spend the night in the drunk tank). So I think he was a drunk guest of one of my neighbors who tried to wander into the wrong apartment, and maybe I overreacted but dude I was scared and alone, and who knows who he could have been.
I’ve also called the non-​emergency line when some kids were noisily partying it up late on a weeknight. Hey I like having a drunken good time too sometimes but at 1 am on a weeknight, some people need to get up early the next day and want to sleep. (I feel like an old fart when I write that) The dispatcher on the phone asked me for my general location and said they’d send someone to check it out.
Overall just props in general for doing a tough job, dealing with some situations and people that I personally wouldn’t want to… good rating from me.