VII.R. Anti-Police Safety and Security Policies

Non-Collaboration Policies for Law Enforcement

Existing policy bans harassment, assault, the possession of firearms, and the mishandling of confidential information in the BSC. In the interest in protecting the livelihood of BSC affiliates, the BSC has developed the following non-collaboration policies for law enforcement.

1. A BSC member shall not provide voluntary consent to any local, state, or Federal law enforcement agency or officer thereof to inspect any property of the BSC unless there is reasonable suspicion of rape, murder, arson, kidnapping, grand theft, arson, kidnapping, or assault on a member.

2. No BSC member shall use any BSC funds or resources to assist in the enforcement of the law or to gather or disseminate information about our members or staff or any other such personnel. BSC senior managers or Facility Managers can exercise their professional judgment and provide consent when they feel it is appropriate and/or in the interest of preventing or mitigating harm to people or persons.

3. The above sections 1 and 2 shall not apply if the law enforcement agent provides a valid, current judicial warrant or subpoena.

4. If a BSC member consents for law enforcement to inspect BSC property, they are responsible for:

a. Validating the warrant or subpoena, if one is presented, and ensuring that it is a judicial warrant,

b. Notifying BSC stakeholders they have allowed law enforcement to inspect BSC property,

c. Working with unit-level managers or Staff management to steer law enforcement away from vulnerable members,

d. Continue to update BSC stakeholders on law enforcement presence until they leave,

e. Staying with law enforcement agents from when they arrive until they leave, and

f. Ensuring an incident report is filed with appropriate internal bodies.

g. If the person who called law enforcement cannot continue to stay with law enforcement or update stakeholders, they must pass responsibility onto a consenting BSC member before leaving the premise.

Policies for Requesting Law Enforcement to Enter BSC Property

5. Unless there is or was a threat of danger of bodily harm or destruction of private property, arson, or kidnapping. all BSC-affiliated people must actively use the most appropriate option before requesting law enforcement enter BSC property.

6. Appropriate options include, but are not limited to:

a. Good-faith consultation with other members or staffers in the vicinity.

b. On 8PM-8 AM Fridays and Saturdays, contacting Mental Health First, a program of the Oakland based Anti-Police Terror Project, by phone or text at 510-999-9MH1 for urgent non-police mental health emergency dispatch, Domestic Violence intervention and support planning, substance use support, basic medical first aid, homelessness aid, and advising for concerned members calling about someone else.

c. Calling 988 (if you have a 510 or 341 area code) - Calling (800) 309-2131, Berkeley’s Mobile Crisis team otherwise known as CATT Team. is available on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 11:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. One can ask for that specifically. As opposed to a typical 911 response, the Berkeley Mobile Crisis Team has a trained response team that is not supposed to bring militarized police presence, and oftentimes police will show up even when asked not to. On non-Berkeley Mobile Crisis hours, police are guaranteed to be a part of the service provided, so there is a need to 1) stress it’s a mental health situation, if that is accurate and 2) make it explicitly clear that police officers with militarized demeanors and equipment will not be generative for the situation. Either way, ask for a response with the primary goal of avoiding involuntary detainment and involuntary hospitalization and helping the person out of crisis.

i. Additional suggestions include asking for a social worker or Berkeley Health/ambulance response only, requesting no police lights and sirens be called, requesting the police car to park off-site if arriving with the Mobile Crisis Unit.

d. Calling 211, the 24/7 Emergency Housing, Health, and Social Services hotline in Alameda County to identify housing support and basic needs resources for unhoused residents and other residents facing precarity. For non-local calls, the equivalent number is 888-886-9660.

e. Calling -988, the 24/7 hotline for Crisis Support Services of Alameda County for members in mental, re-traumatizing crises. Call text Chat

f. Calling 510-845-7273, the 24/7 English and Spanish hotline for Sexual Assault & Domestic Violence Program (SARRT) (Bay Area Women Against Rape (BAWAR) is closing permanently on 09/30/2026 and recommended SARRT) for survivors seeking support. Alternatively calling 510-643-2005, the 24/7 PATH to Care hotline.

g. Calling 1-844-682-7215 Monday - Friday 8am - 6pm withdrawal support hotline recommended by Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services.

h. Any resource in dontcallthepolice.com online directory.

i. Calling (510) 981-3473, the direct number to the Berkeley Fire Department. Ask specifically for Emergency Medical Services or firefighting services. More specific numbers for specific services are detailed on the City of Berkeley Website.

j. Calling 510-891-5600, the 24/7 Alameda County Mobile Crisis Unit/Mental Health Services hotline, which sometimes services Berkeley.

k. [List Updated 2026]

7. If a member/staff decides to involve law enforcement authorities. They will be expected to explain why they were not able to pursue other appropriate alternatives or why the crisis called for it. This explanation must go to any relevant senior management, unit-level managers, or IACom.

8. If a BSC-affiliated person requests law enforcement presence on BSC property, they accept that they are accountable for:

a. Notifying BSC stakeholders they have called law enforcement*,

b. Working with unit-level managers to steer vulnerable members away from law enforcement presence, and

c. Monitoring, without interfering with, the law enforcement from when they arrive until they leave.

d. Ensuring an incident report is filed with appropriate internal bodies.

8. Threatening to call or actually calling law enforcement authorities on an individual maliciously, especially if on the basis of protected identity, is prohibited by BSC policy.

• It is understood that a member needing medical assistance may not have time to notify or report. For genuine health emergencies, a delayed timeline for reporting the incident is fine and member health should take priority.

Should unit-level law enforcement policy and standards conflict with central level policy, central level policy trumps unit-level policy. Unit-level policy may be more strict than central-level policy, but not more lenient.

[Approved amendment per SumCom #2 (06.25.2026)]

[Approved at Board #1 (3.2.23)]