Berkeley Police Chief Michael Meehan resigned Wednesday amid ongoing criticism over his leadership. Capt. Andrew Greenwood has already been tapped as acting chief.
“I am extremely confident that acting Chief Greenwood and the men and women of the Police Department will move the department forward and continue providing excellent service to the Berkeley community,” City Manager Dee Williams-Ridley wrote in a memo Wednesday.
No reason for Meehan’s departure was given, but he has been at the center of multiple controversies over the years. In 2012, he was accused of having officers track down his son’s stolen iPhone. A sergeant was also sent to the home of a news reporter late at night by Meehan, who wished to have a story changed. In 2013, Meehan’s department came under fire for the death of a transgender woman who was in custody at the time. The following year, the department was criticized for the way it handled demonstrations against police. More recently, a tattered relationship between the chief and his officers had been under scrutiny.
Williams-Ridley thanked Meehan for his service, including a series of reforms enacted under his leadership. Many of those were underappreciated, said Council Member Kriss Worthington.
Meehan had served as Chief of Police for the past six years and had previously been with the Seattle Police Department. He is one of a number of Bay Area police chiefs that have recently resigned, including Greg Suhr of San Francisco and Oakland's Sean Whent.
Read more about Meehan’s departure here.