Hundreds join first night of protests in Berkeley

Hundreds of protestors marched in downtown Berkeley Saturday night, protesting the recent non-indictments of the police officers involved in the deaths of the Eric Garner and Michael Brown. The protestors started from University Ave., caused North Berkeley BART Station to close, and marched towards UC Berkeley. Violence erupted at Telegraph Ave. while making their way to downtown Berkeley, chanting…

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RPD Ride-Along: Night on the Richmond beat

Officers Brandon Ruffin and Jennifer Cortez patrol the central beat, an area comprising Richmond’s inner city and high crime Iron Triangle neighborhood. Some shifts pop with energy and danger – including reports of sometimes deadly gunfire – while others are placid.

“It comes in waves,” Ruffin, 28, says as he slides the cruiser through a back alley. “The key is to keep the bad waves small and quick.”

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BART PD to wear on body cameras

Sometime this year, all BART police officers will begin wearing cameras to record their actions. The policy is in the process of being finalized, but Shante Barnes, a training specialist officer, said that trainers travelled to Arizona in mid-October to study proper usage and video storage of the camera. After the official launch date each…

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Chief investigator takes stand in Richmond police discrimination trial

ray marshall

The man who conducted an investigation into alleged discrimination in the Richmond Police Department testified Thursday that he was inundated with complaints from both sides of the issue in mid-2007. Ray Marshall, a Harvard-educated attorney whose firm was paid more than $300,000 by the city for his fact-finding mission, testified that bickering on both sides…

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