After Berkeley Riot, Campus Police Reconsidering ‘Hands Off’ Approach

From Campus Reform:

Berkeley Police Sgt. Sabrina Reich, however, defended the officers’ placidity, pointing out that several officers fired paintballs to mark certain rioters for arrest, but could not ultimately follow through because up to three officers would be needed to escort each arrestee from the scene.

“It was a crowd-control situation,” Reich explained. “We steered clear of individual action.”

University spokesperson Dan Mogulof echoed Reich’s claims, arguing that only a small portion of the protesters were actually involved in the vandalism and violence, sparking concerns that intervention would have exacerbated the situation.

…Nonetheless, Mogulof did say that the university is working with campus police to explore “possible changes that would not preclude controversial speakers but that would minimize the destruction,” referring to existing system-wide policies that were adopted after UC-Davis police officers were captured on video using pepper spray on students participating in an “Occupy” rally.

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