Berkeley Police Expand Dog Helicopter Use | Oakland News

Berkeley’s city council just flipped a major policy switch—voting to unleash police dogs and helicopters with far fewer restrictions, undoing a 1982 ban. Now watch commanders can greenlight their use on the fly, instead of needing city manager approval. Proponents say it’ll speed up responses, but critics scream alarm: this opens the door to more deployments, less oversight, and no solid data to back it up. New rules let dogs patrol burglary scenes and serve warrants on repeat offenders, while helicopters now fly for non-emergency ops too. Meanwhile, the chemical weapons ban’s repeal is on hold until September—though some council members hint it might happen sooner. Residents are furious, calling it a betrayal of public trust, and an advisory board outright opposed the changes. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/04047884e391ae88