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Lamont is nervous. A police officer has stopped him and is asking for his identification. But Lamont refuses to produce his wallet or the I.D that is inside. And the police officer looks like he is getting mad.  

“It’s well known that Cal students come to People’s Park to buy drugs,” says the police officer as his reason for having stopped Lamont. But Lamont knows his rights. He questions the basis of the officer’s suspicion and refuses to have his backpack searched. After a few minutes of tense discussion, the officer lets him go. 

But Lamont wasn’t stopped by a real police officer. The tense interaction between Lamont and the police officer was really a role playing exercise to train new volunteers for Berkeley’s Copwatch this past Saturday. But it was enough to remind him of the bad experiences he’s had in the past. 

Now, thanks to the training, he knows how to protect himself, and others, when police abuse their authority. 

Created in 1990 in response to escalating tension between homeless people and police in the Telegraph Avenue area, Copwatch is a non-profit organization fighting against police brutality. Volunteers document police behavior by bearing witness and filming situations with a video camera.  

Copwatch members say this is the best way to hold police accountable for their actions. 

“We don’t want to exaggerate,” said Andrea Prichett, a Copwatch co-founder. “We only want to expose police misconduct. We really want to talk about what we see to influence the City Council and educate people.” 

Copwatch strategies, Prichett explained, are based on one fundamental principle: first, do not harm. While they never want to contribute to worsening the situation, the volunteers on Saturday were also learning how to hold police accountable to the letter of the law. 

According to the California penal code, citizens are allowed to observe police intervention as long as they do not interfere. Prichett explained a few of the techniques. First, she said, Copwatchers, as the volunteers are called, should always speak directly to the police officers they are only observing. 

They should never approach a policeman from the back or have their hands in their pockets, because it might give the police the impression they are armed. A Copwatcher’s main task on the scene is to write down and videotape as many details as possible, such as the officer’s badge number, the officer’s name, their precinct, the location and time. 

As well, in the case of something going wrong, volunteers are trained to be on the lookout for possible witnesses, who would be willing to speak up and go on record if it is necessary to file a complaint. 

Prichett says it is paramount for the general public to be aware of their rights if stopped by police. The first thing to do when stopped by the police, Prichett said, is to ask the officer whether or not you are free to go. By law, they can detain someone if they have reason to believe that person has broken the law. Prichett said if someone is detained, they are not required by law to give their name and address, but she added, at that point they may want to cooperate.  

Providing any information beyond that is not recommended. Likewise, Prichett pointed out to the 20 trainees that while police are allowed to do a pat search, they are supposed to obtain consent from the detainee in order to search pockets, purses, and backpacks. If someone is placed under arrest, Prichett advises to not say anything until a lawyer or public defender is present.