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Berkeley police report 2025 drops in several crimes, but council and public press for more data on hate crimes and ALPR use
Summary
Police officials told council the city saw declines in several serious crimes in 2025 and credited data-driven tools and new CSO/flex-team strategies, while council members and public commenters sought more disaggregated hate-crime data and raised privacy and racial‑disparity concerns about ALPR/Flock systems.
Berkeley police on Wednesday told the City Council their 2025 annual report shows declines in several serious crime categories even as staffing gaps persist and the department expands use of technology and nonprofit partnerships. Chief-level officials and staff highlighted a drop in overall Group A offenses, stronger clearance rates and new programs they say are helping the city respond more efficiently.
"So, in total, Berkeley recorded about, 9,800 Group A offenses in 2025, which is down 11% from the year before," Arlo Momburg, the department's strategic planning and accountability manager, said during the presentation. He cited a 48% local decline in motor-vehicle thefts, a 31% drop in commercial burglaries and a 40% fall in shootings.
The department attributed improvements to a mix of enforcement and prevention strategies, including the gun‑violence intervention and prevention partnership (GVIPP), a nascent community‑based referral program run by the nonprofit Live Free, a newly expanded…
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