Berkeley Mayor Releases Statement on Police Chief Meehan's Resignation

BERKELEY, CA — Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates has released a statement on the resignation of Police Chief Michael Meehan. Here is his statement in its entirety:

This morning I received a memo from City Manager Dee Williams-Ridley notifying me that Chief Michael Meehan has resigned and his resignation has been accepted. It also states that Captain Andrew Greenwood, who has been with BPD for 31 years, has been appointed as the Acting Police Chief.

Michael Meehan served as Berkeley’s Chief of Police for nearly seven years and I am grateful for his commitment to the City of Berkeley. The Berkeley community has benefited from several innovative policing strategies under Meehan’s leadership, including Fair and Impartial Policing training, Crisis Intervention Training, increased transparency, and genuinely working to improve relations between the Department and the Community. The Department participates in National Night Out every year, and Chief Meehan was instrumental in creating the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Community Breakfast, which brings together hundreds of community members, elected officials, youth and others to celebrate the work of civil right heroes and fellowship in unity.

We have an extremely diverse, talented, and responsive police staff, dedicated to serving the community with a high level of excellence. This is a tough time for policing across the nation and Berkeley will continue to look for innovative ways to address current policing issues. I am confident that Acting Chief Greenwood will bring a wealth of experience and skill set that will serve the community and the Department well.

--Image by Charles Burress, Patch