Berkeley Police Step Up Civic Center Park Patrols

BERKELEY, CA – The Berkeley Police plans to expand patrols of Civic Center Park after two people were found dead in the different parts of the area Sunday, the agency said in a statement.

Officers from the department’s Bike Force and Community Services Bureau will be stepping-up patrols of the park according to police.

“Our hope is that through increased community engagement in the park, we may be able to increase the likelihood that people who need assistance get the help that they need,” the BPD said in a statement.

Around 12:10 p.m. Sunday, police received a report of "a man down," meaning he was lying on the ground and cold to the touch, on the west side of the park near Martin Luther King, Jr., Way, said Berkeley Police Lt. Veronica Rodrigues.

The Berkeley Fire Department also responded to the scene, where the 52-year-old man was pronounced dead. "We do not suspect foul play at this time," Rodrigues said.

Adjacent to the deceased man, police found another man unconscious but alive. Narcan was administered, and the 59-year-old man was taken to a local trauma hospital where he is in stable condition, Rodrigues said.

Another individual contacted police around 3:10 p.m. to say a friend had died in the park.

Berkeley police and fire responders found a 42-year-old man dead in a tent in the east side of the park, Rodrigues said.

No further details were released.

Bay City News contributed to this report