Council adopts revised use‑of‑force policy after months of review; removes 'strive to' and clarifies 'minimum' standard

The Berkeley City Council on Tuesday adopted amendments to the Berkeley Police Department’s use‑of‑force policy after a lengthy public process and many hours of testimony.

The Police Review Commission recommended deleting the phrase "strive to" from two paragraphs in the draft policy, arguing it weakened the standard and could create a subjective loophole. PRC Chair Katie Calavita told the council the commission voted 8–1 to remove the phrase and keep a firm minimum‑force requirement. "Adding 'strive to' weakens the policy substantially and allows for a potential scenario in which an officer may use unnecessary and unreasonable force as long as they could say they tried not to," the chair said.

The department argued during training sessions that the word "minimum" can be read as a single‑answer requirement and that officers needed language recognizing a range of reasonable responses in split‑second situations. Chief Greenwood and training lieutenants described practical difficulties in telling officers that only a single response will satisfy a "minimum" requirement in every circumstance.

Council members negotiated a compromise language that removes the phrase "strive to" and clarifies the definition: the policy now directs officers to use "a minimum amount of force within the range that is objectively reasonable and objectively necessary to safely affect an arrest or achieve a legitimate law‑enforcement purpose." The new phrasing was intended to preserve accountability while making the standard practicable for training and review.

The change passed on a council roll call after robust public comment from community members urging stronger restrictions and from department representatives urging operational clarity. The council directed staff to implement the revised policy and continue training and monitoring.