Unrest in Berkeley as acting police chief surfaces old allegations of sexual misconduct

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A five-year-old sexual misconduct allegation has disrupted the permanent appointment of acting police chief Jennifer Louis, and city council has many questions about why that information never surfaced.

Acting Berkeley Police Chief Jennifer Louis has had the interim label since being named to the position in March 2021. After the city interviewed several other finalists, they announced Louis as the permanent pick in late October, with the mere formality of a Berkeley city council. vote to approve it, originally scheduled for November 15.

It hasn’t happened, and it may not happen anytime soon. The Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday that Louis had a sexual misconduct allegation from 2017, with allegations from three different women, only one of which was confirmed by an independent outside law firm. Then on Thursday, the Chronicle reported that members of the Berkeley City Council said they were unaware of the allegations and had only just learned all about it when it appeared in the newspapers.

As a council member, I am very upset to learn that there was potential and material information that was not available to us, council member Sophie Hahn told the Chronicle. That’s really my biggest concern. Honestly.

The only allegation that was confirmed, and for which Louis received a reprimand, was from 2017. It involved Berkeley police officer Heather Haney and occurred at a police barbecue.

Haney alleged that Louis told his daughter to throw a water balloon at Haney because she was wearing a white tank top, according to the Chronicle. Haney also said Louis made a comment about her child not latching on while breastfeeding, saying she likes to play with the nipple and you know what that is.

Louis initially received a five-day suspension, but appealed and won the appeal. She just got a letter of reprimand after that.

In a statement to the Chronicle, Louis said I was fully cleared five years ago after an extensive appeal hearing that included the presentation of numerous testimonies that the investigator did not include or obtain during his examination. . She added, I have never committed sexual harassment. Nor have I ever discriminated against or retaliated against any member of the department or the community.

The Berkeley City Council’s vote on Louis’s permanent nomination still hasn’t been scheduled, and obviously that complicates that vote.

Related: Berkeley High School Community Questions Why It Took Nine Days to Arrest Suspect in Mass Shooting Plan [SFist]

Image: Berkeley Police Department

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