Dear campus community,
As you may be aware, University of California Police Department (UCPD) made an arrest earlier
today of one of our employees. A video of the incident shows UCPD officers using force to make
the arrest. UCPD and the campus administration always see the use of force as a last resort and
it is used only when a person is not cooperating or complying with the instructions of officers
involved in carrying out their duties.
I have been in close consultation with campus leadership, including Chancellor Christ, and in my
role as Vice Chancellor for Administration with oversight of the UCPD and Human Resources, I
would like to share some initial information about the incident and the steps we will be taking
as a result.
The UC employee was part of a protest that blocked the intersection of Telegraph Avenue and
Bancroft Way. In the course of the protest, the UC employee ran toward an occupied vehicle
that was making its way through the intersection and threw the sign he was carrying at the
vehicle.
According to security camera video, the vehicle then pulled forward and stopped on Bancroft
Way. At that point, the UC employee began to advance in the direction of the driver and other
people in the area attempted to stop him. The driver of the vehicle flagged down a police
officer for assistance and complained that the UC employee had damaged his car. The driver
requested a citizen’s arrest and under California law, UCPD is obligated to arrest the individual
on the citizen’s behalf.
When a UCPD officer attempted to detain the UC employee, he became uncooperative and
disregarded instructions from the officer. The officer requested assistance and he and other
UCPD officers then moved to physically detain him. Due to the UC employee’s resistance,
multiple officers were needed to take him into custody. He was charged with vandalism and
resisting an officer.
The employee sustained a cut that required treatment at a local hospital. He was later
transferred to the Berkeley City Jail where he was booked. UCPD advocated that he be cited
and released without needing to post bail. The employee has been released from jail.
The employee’s supervisor has been in contact with him to check on his well-being.
As is standard practice with all incidents involving the use of force on the part of police officers,
UCPD command staff will carefully review this incident. I strongly urge anyone with information
regarding the incident to call UCPD at (510)642-6760 and ask to speak with an on-duty watch
commander. Witness statements are critical to this review process. Following the UCPD review,
I and the campus leadership team, including the chancellor, will determine whether an
independent review is needed and proceed accordingly.
I ask for your patience as we go through this process.
Sincerely,
Marc Fisher
Vice Chancellor for Administration
If you are a manager who supervises UC Berkeley employees without email access, please circulate this information to all.