Page One

Editor:  

I was astonished to pick up the Berkeley Daily Planet today and find an anonymous letter which villified Berkeley Copwatch.  

I have had the privilege of knowing the organizers of Copwatch, sitting in on some of their meetings, and witnessing how they conduct their copwatching shifts on the streets. They are unfailingly polite and respectful to police, as well as to everyone else. They do not shove anything in anyone's face, let alone microphones--they don't even own any microphones. As for videotaping, this is a perfectly legal activity, as was explained in your Monday feature article, and Copwatchers who use videocameras are trained not to interfere with police.  

The organizers and volunteers at Copwatch are civil, articulate, intelligent, and nonviolent. They know a lot about the law, and so they try to educate citizens regarding their rights. It's great that your anonymous letter writer knows a lot of upstanding, heroic police officers. Those officers are indeed a blessing to the community, but not every officer fits this profile--certainly not all of the time.  

It's absolutely false to say that Copwatch objects to everything that the police do. The fact is that police misconduct has been well documented in Berkeley, as well as places like L.A. and Oakland, and this is why Berkeley has a Police Review Commission. Incidentally, the Berkeley PRC has a longstanding collaborative and amicable relationship with Copwatch.  

Also, the allegation that a police officer picked up two Copwatch leaders who overdosed on heroin is absolute nonsense. Lastly, the author's name being withheld "for her safety" implies that somebody in Copwatch might "come after her." Copwatch is a sober, intelligent, and nonviolent group. They have never harmed or "come after" anyone ever, nor would they be disposed to do so (even in response to defamation).  

Marc Polonsky 

Berkeley