Berkeley Moves Forward With Replacing Police With Unarmed Civilians For Traffic Stops

Berkeley, California will be moving toward creating a department separate of police that would replace officers with unarmed civilians to enforce traffic laws, the numerous sources reported.

The City Council approved a police reform proposed Wednesday that would re-assign police service calls to a unit staffed by “crisis responders” as part of an initiative to achieve racial justice, BerkeleySide reported. 

Part of the reforms would also include shifting duties like responding to calls about mental health crises or homeless people away from police, so that officers can instead focus on “violent and criminal matters.”