Berkeley Police Department Chief Michael Meehan used the department’s police forces and assistance to search for his son’s stolen cellphone, according to a department statement released Monday.
Meehan’s son’s iPhone was reportedly stolen at Berkeley High School in January, but a report was not immediately written up following the incident. Meehan originally showed his own phone tracking his son’s stolen phone to the department’s property crimes detective sergeant, according to the statement issued by department spokesperson Sgt. Mary Kusmiss, which said tracking software played a role in locating the phone’s whereabouts.
One sergeant and three detectives from the department extended their shifts for approximately two hours each and were given overtime pay to look into the stolen cellphone, according to the statement.
“Given the active signal of the stolen phone, the Detective Sergeant decided to take his team to try to locate it,” the statement reads. “As the signal was moving into the City of Oakland, the Detective Sergeant called the Drug Task Force to ask for some additional assistance and members of that team offered to help. Chief Meehan did not order anyone to investigate.”
Police Chief Michael Meehan insists that no preferential treatment was involved in the case. According to Meehan, the fact that the department was able to track the stolen iPhone in “real time” using an iPhone application called Find My iPhone was the determining factor behind the response to the stolen phone.
“Given the circumstances at hand and the available resources, I would expect the same level of service from our people in any case,” Meehan said. “Sometimes we’re busier, it’s not something we can guarantee in every case.”
According to Oakland Police spokesperson Johnna Watson, the Oakland Police Department does not have a policy that requires an outside agency to notify the department while officers are in the city limit.
Councilmember Gordon Wozniak said the issue comes down to whether Meehan’s son received preferential treatment in recovering the stolen item. Wozniak said he plans to ask the city manager to put together a report regarding the incident for the council.
“It doesn’t sound like the chief ordered anyone to do it,” said Wozniak. “I hope we would have shown similar interest in anyone else who reported a stolen phone.”
According to the statement, the department also did not notify the Oakland Police Department — although it is considered a courtesy to do so — when the recovery effort for the phone led Berkeley police into North Oakland at 55th Street and San Pablo Avenue.
“The team followed the signal from Berkeley into Oakland until the signal stopped updating its position. Members of BPD attempted to contact residents at several homes in the vicinity of the last known signal of the stolen phone,” reads the Berkeley police department statement.
None of the community members questioned were able to provide the officers with any useful information, so and the team ended the investigation, according to the statement.
“It’s pretty outrageous that (Meehan) would spend Berkeley citizens’ money that way,” said Berkeley resident Jane Welford, who has been involved with Berkeley Copwatch, a volunteer organization that monitors police actions in the city.
In March, Meehan ordered Kusmiss to Oakland Tribune reporter Doug Oakley’s home in the middle of the night to request changes on an online story, a move the department and Meehan were later criticized for nationwide. Interim City Manager Christine Daniel announced in a statement in March that the city had initially begun investigations and hired San Francisco-based law firm Renne Sloan Holtzman Sakai to look into the incident.
Earlier this month the department also decided to hire an additional communications firm located in Irvine to audit its policies for the next six months. The audit will cost the department $24,000.
The department statement also said it is common for officers to actively look into tracking signals coming from stolen electronic devices such as laptops, smartphones and tablets, and the investigation could involve any number of officers depending on the location and circumstances of the case.
Anjuli Sastry is an assistant news editor.
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My
My daughter’s iPhone was stolen and the
Berkeley Police traced the phone with “Find My iPhone” and recovered
it from a residence. It is a long story but they were amazing (Officer Atari
and his partner?).
These are computers that often contain very sensitive
personal and security information. Think of it as someone stole a computer from
the Cheif of Polices home and it might make more sense to you.
My daughter’s iPhone was stolen and the
Berkeley Police traced the phone with “Find My iPhone” and recovered
it from a residence. It is a long story but they were amazing (Officer Atari
and his partner?).
These are computers that often contain very sensitive
personal and security information. Think of it as someone stole a computer from
the Cheif of Polices home and it might make more sense to you.
The iPhone belonged to Meehan’s son. There is no reason that anything pertaining to police business should have been on that phone. If any such information were on that phone, Meehan should be fired.
Your argument has no legs, none at all.
There are lots of cases of criminals getting out and going
after the person that busted them. That is just one obvious reason that police,
judges and attorneys don’t want their families, friends and relatives
information out there. The police can be frustrating as hell but simple minded rants don’t really help.
that was a very good article
Meehan is an IDIOT and his son even more so. DUH, kid. Hang onto your phone so your big bad powerful DADDY won’t have to sic the entire po-po precinct on your snot nose friends. Stupid.
The pattern that’s emerging from Meehan’s conduct is not encouraging. Using public assets as personal tools is inappropriate. This is an HR issue, and the city council needs to deal with it.
And Wozniak, give us a fucking break. Nobody else who has a cell phone stolen is going to get 8 officers assigned to the case. You are either corrupt or retarded, and either way you need to go.
Chief Meehan looks like Superman.
I don’t really care if the police chief uses overtime to catch thieves. What I wonder about is why a kid from Oakland is attending Berkeley High? As if Berkeley didn’t have enough juvenile delinquents to deal with, it also has to put up with Oakland’s kids? Oh well, I guess if a city can give sanctuary to illegal aliens, it can’t really turn away Oakland residents.
The point is not to recover the phone. The point is to create a level of deterrence by busting punks who do this (usually people who shouldn’t be on the streets anyway.)
Time for a new chief, Why does the Berkley City Council put up with this???
The punky BHS thief that took the phone better watch his back. I wish they had tagged him. There are valid reasons for going the extra mile to bust that thief. The phone probably had sensitive information on it. I am proud that our chief sent his kid to a Berkeley Public School. Cell phone robberies can be linked to other serious crimes worth pursuing.
Guess what, Meehan? You do this type of shit with taxpayer money, and you lose your job. That’s it. Make arrangements.
Can you hear me now?
Good question…
How is he still in that position?
If you can’t see this is preferential
treatment, simply put, you’re blind! Using tax payers dollars to
overextend an investigation where an ordinary citizen would not receive
such treatment is grounds for removal from Chief of Police in my humble
opinion. Especially with other questionable issues that have recently
surfaced. I’m sure if it were a typical case, the citizen would be
lucky to get a report regarding it. They would be told, I’m sorry this
occurs often and there is little that we can do. Many times, they don’t
even care to use the tracking software that allows them to better
locate a device. Furthermore, a Sergeant and three detectives would
never be allocated to such a minor crime unless preferential treatment
was involved. Lastly, I never knew that the Drug Task Force assisted in
thefts or robberies of cell phones – I guess I’ve learned something
new, huh!?
I don’t care, that’s what any dad in his position would do. If not, you’re a bleeding heart douche. Way to go, popz.
You paid for popz’ special treatment for his son.
Yeah, I think that’s the issue here. I mean, if he payed the dectective’s overtime with his own money and they were cool with that then that would be fine. But using your position to spend money preferentially is wrong. There are definitely far worse things going on in the area than some kid’s cell phone getting stolen.
Okay, I guess you’re right about misallocation of resources. A little misguided, perhaps, but I’m sure it’s tough when your own son is victimized.
You’re an idiot. If I was him I’d tell junior to suck it up. Fuck, if you really want to spoil your brat, just buy him a new fucking iPhone… the police chief makes over 200k a year sucking on the taxpayer teat.
You’re a little bitch who’d call the cops with the quickness if you were getting a stomping. Yet here you are bitching about a public servant at the “taxpayer’s teat”. And who the fuck says “teat” anymore? Fucking Chaucer over here.