Meeting Overview

The Berkeley City Council held a special work session on July 14, 2026, focused entirely on the 2025 annual report from the Police Accountability Board (PAB) and the Office of the Director of Police Accountability (ODPA). A work session is for discussion and review; it does not usually involve formal action on policy.

Staff explained how police misconduct complaints are handled, summarized complaint data from 2025, reviewed the board’s policy work, and presented data on police stops, use of force, and officer training. Much of the discussion centered on staffing shortages, disagreements between the PAB and the police chief on complaint findings, the quality and timeliness of records provided for investigations, and how to interpret disparities in stop and use-of-force data.

Main Agenda Items

The ODPA reported receiving 43 complaints in 2025 from 27 people. It also closed nine investigated cases involving 69 allegations, plus 22 cases that were closed administratively without a full investigation. Staff said many administrative closures were due to limited staffing after investigator departures and a hiring freeze. Other closures happened when complaints did not allege misconduct on their face, were filed late, were withdrawn, or were otherwise resolved.

Staff explained the four main finding categories: “sustained” means misconduct was found; “not sustained” means there was not enough evidence either way; “unfounded” means the act did not occur; and “exonerated” means the act occurred but was lawful. Staff said nearly half of findings were “unfounded.”

A major point of discussion was the gap between PAB findings and the police chief’s decisions. Staff said the chief agreed with none of the 13 allegations the PAB sustained in 2025. Councilmembers asked for more context on what kinds of allegations were sustained and whether future reports could better summarize that information.

On policy work, staff highlighted PAB review of surveillance technology, drones, AI-assisted report writing, vehicle pursuit policy, and controlled equipment. Staff said the board also reduced and merged subcommittees to focus its work. They described partnerships with UC Berkeley and community groups as a positive development.

Staff also presented data on vehicle and pedestrian stops. They said Black residents and people perceived to be unhoused were stopped at disproportionately high rates compared with their share of the population. Staff cautioned that the report was descriptive and did not prove the reasons for those disparities. Chair Josh Cayetano said the board had not done a study controlling for possible explanations and encouraged a future study of root causes.

On use of force, staff reported 276 incidents involving 315 people and 1,276 individual force applications in 2025. Most were lower-level force, such as grabs and control holds. The most common reasons listed were making an arrest, mental-health-related detentions, resisting arrest, combativeness, or assault on an officer.

Councilmembers also raised concerns about whether ODPA receives complete records quickly enough to do investigations. Interim Director Kathy Lee said delays in police department records had contributed to some deadline extensions. Chair Cayetano added that in 2025 the former director sued the city over records access and said incomplete records can impair oversight.

Decisions Made

No final actions were taken at this meeting.

The Council adjourned the special meeting by unanimous vote of the members present, 7–0.