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TBS Today, Jan. 23

Berkeley police are investigating a fake 911 call this week that briefly caused concern at a local elementary school.

Part of what made this newsworthy to us was that the Citizen app sent out an alert about the hoax call — reporting that there had been a shooting near the school.

It's a reminder to take any Citizen "report" with a massive grain of salt.

It was entirely clear from the public radio traffic (which we closely reviewed) that police did not believe this was a real incident and that they quickly worked to debunk it — but none of that was reflected on the Citizen app (which sent its "shooting" alert to nearly 9,000 users).

It's also interesting to note that school officials may actually take action in response to Citizen alerts, which generally go through no confirmation or vetting process.

The proliferation of unvetted public safety information on apps like Citizen and NextDoor is a big reason why we think our work at TBS is now more critical than ever.

We also published a story last night about a solo motorcycle crash in the hills.

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Also, did you know today is Ed Roberts Day? See the full proclamation from Gov. Newsom.

Gov. @GavinNewsom has proclaimed today Ed Roberts Day, honoring the "father of independent living" on the 86th anniversary of his birth. Roberts "was a trailblazing advocate for people with disabilities who transformed countless lives in California and across the country." pic.twitter.com/mPmoULeE1k
— The Berkeley Scanner (@BerkeleyScanner) January 23, 2025