Berkeley police Chief Michael Meehan resigns
Berkeley Police Department Chief Michael Meehan resigned Tuesday amid internal and public criticism of his departmental leadership.
Meehan’s resignation was effective as of Tuesday, according to city spokesperson Matthai Chakko. In a memo to Berkeley City Council sent Wednesday morning, City Manager Dee Williams-Ridley accepted Meehan’s resignation and announced her appointment of Capt. Andrew Greenwood as acting police chief.
“We are grateful for Chief Meehan’s nearly seven years of service to Berkeley. During that time, the department has grown in many ways,” Williams-Ridley wrote in the memo, adding that the agency was the first in Alameda County to implement Crisis Intervention Training, and has increased overall transparency about crime data.
Meehan was appointed police chief in December 2009. In recent years, he has faced significant criticism from both his staff and the general public. Recently released emails sent by Meehan revealed that his employees were particularly frustrated with his lack of presence and overall performance, based on the results of an internal survey.
Neither Meehan nor Greenwood were immediately available for comment.
Chakko said that while Meehan’s reasons for resigning were personal and he could not speak to them, Chakko was confident in Greenwood’s ability to serve as acting chief. As Captain, Greenwood oversaw the investigations division and, most recently, the operations division.
“(Greenwood’s) got extensive experience in the department. He’s had a number of different leadership roles,” Chakko said. “He’s lived in Berkeley his whole life, he’s got very strong relationships with the community. He’s very dedicated to the department and the community. He’ll do very well.”
Check back for updates
Chantelle Lee covers crime and courts. Contact her at chantellelee@dailycal.org and follow her on Twitter at @ChantelleHLee.