Firing of Berkeley’s top police watchdog lands another blow to independent oversight, officials say

BERKELEY — Berkeley councilmembers have decided to fire the director of the Office of Police Accountability, a decision the director says “does not happen in a vacuum.”

The vote to remove Hansel Aguilar was made official during a closed session meeting Monday, with eight councilmembers in favor and one absent, Mayor Adena Ishii said in a statement.

“The Berkeley City Council is firmly committed to police accountability, and we recognize how deeply these issues matter to our community.