The Berkeley Police Department, and specifically the Berkeley police chiefs, have been criticizedin recent months for their lack of action against violent antifa rioters and extreme left-wing protesters.But despite their lack of hands-on action when protests turn violent, the Berkeley Police Department websitedoes have a section on protests, and provides an event checklist for anyone planning an event.The checklist has apparently been repeatedly ignored by violent left-wing protesters, particularly the following bullet points:* Encourage peaceful expression and lawful behavior by attendees.* Discourage certain items from being brought to the event.Incredibly, the website also asks:* Do you want symbolic arrests?* If so, where and when? When did law enforcement extend to offering 'symbolic arrests'? Surely the purpose of law enforcement should be to enforce the law?Purely and simply, this is arresting people to bring attention to a cause. Event organizers are being given the opportunity to request arrests to gain free publicity.Police departments should not be volunteering to arrest people for political purposes. Protesters should not be able to use the police in order to bring attention to their cause by negotiating a number of symbolic arrests.According to reports, the violent left-wing riots in February against Milo's right to free speech resulted in only one arrest.Many people were injured, and over $100,000 damage was caused, and yet there was only one arrest. Shouldn't the Berkeley police chiefs focus on arresting those violent left-wing rioters, rather than on making 'symbolic arrests'?I can understand how frustrating it must be for the rank and file Berkeley police officers who want to be allowed to do their jobs and protect the public. However, the Berkeley police chiefs need to focus on real policing, rather than 'symbolic' policing. And if they continually fail to do so, they need to be held accountable for their actions, or lack thereof.- - - - - - - - - -