Berkeley police chief used officers to search for son’s stolen iPhone

http://www.dailycal.org/2012/05/22/berkeley-police-chief-used-officers-to-search-for-sons-stolen-iphone/

Berkeley Police Department Chief Michael Meehan used the department’s police forces and assistance to search for his son’s stolen cell phone, 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 cell phone, 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.”

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.

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 within the city limit.

“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.

**Opinion**

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!?