The Berkeley City Council postponed making interim Police Chief Jennifer Louis's job permanent at its meeting Tuesday after a racist texting scandal amongst officers came to light, according to the City Clerk's office.
Also, the police sergeant at the center of the misconduct allegations stepped down from his post as president of the Berkeley Police Association, the union representing the department's roughly 150 police officers.
"Today, BPA president Darren Kacalek's requested a leave of absence from the association board," said board Vice President Sgt. Scott Castle in a statement Wednesday."In light of allegations about inappropriate text messages, we have accepted his request." Kacalek sent the allegedly inappropriate messages when Louis was a captain and she may have known about them yet did nothing, according to a statement from Nathan Mizell, who is vice chair of the Berkeley Police Accountability Board. Mizell's allegations do not necessarily represent the view of the board.
"We are disturbed by the alleged texts by BPA president Darren Kacalek. As police officers, public servants, and union members we condemn in the strongest terms any negative comments concerning the housing status or ethnicity of those we police and serve."The public's trust in our police officers and the pursuit of justice is paramount. These messages undermine trust and confidence. Discrimination has no place in modern police work.
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