San Jose Police Department

San Jose Police Department
Abbreviation	SJPD
Patch of the San Jose Police Department.
Logo of the San Jose Police Department.
Agency overview
Formed	1849
Annual budget	$285 million
Legal personality	Governmental: Government agency
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdiction*	State of California, USA
Size	178.2 square miles (462 km2)
Population	1,000,000+
General nature	Law enforcement Local civilian police
Operational structure
Headquarters	201 W. Mission Street San Jose, CA 95110
Sworn members	900 Officers
Unsworn members	370 Civilian
Agency executive	Larry Esquivel, Chief
Facilities
Stations	2
Airbases	1
Helicopters	1
Fixed Wings	1
Website
San Jose Police website
Footnotes
* Divisional agency: Division of the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction.

The San Jose Police Department (SJPD) is the police agency for San Jose, California, which has contributed to San Jose being one of the safest large cities in the United States.^[1] The San Jose Police Department is led by Chief of Police Larry Esquivel.

In September 2007, the San Jose Police Department began making all its Calls for Service available to the public ^[2] through a partnership with Crime Reports.com.^[3] San Jose is the first American city to make all 911 calls available via online "CrimeReports.com" maps. The 911 call data is updated daily.

History

The San Jose Police Department was founded in 1849. At that time, California had only been a state for a short while and San Jose was the capital. During its beginnings, the most common offenses recorded for the department were public intoxication and vagrancy according to old jailhouse record. In 1880, the department was averaging at 120 arrests per month and the position of police chief was created and the chief also was the superintendent of the city jail at the time. By the late 1880s, the department went from 10 officers at its beginning to 25. In the early 1900s as the SJPD grew, it became much more organized. As laws were passed and the department modernized, more rules and regulations were instituted regarding police officers. Officers now needed to go through field training and revolver training. The department along with many others in the nation drastically changed with the introduction of the automobile and the advent of motorcycle units. The motorcycle unit mainly cited people for speeding and other traffic violations, and spent a considerable amount of time in court. San Jose was one of the first places to use radio and phone technology to help officers perform their duties better. In 1925, the city council released the first rules and regulations manual to all department members. It was the inspiration for the duty manual that the department uses today. The San Jose Police Academy first started out as a police college for aspiring officers to earn four year bachelors degrees with an emphasis on criminal justice. Men made up the entire police force up until 1945, when Ida Waalkes became the first female to be a sworn officer with the San Jose Police Department. Community policing became popular with the department in the early 1990s as specific geographic areas were mapped out and assigned. This enabled officers to get to know the people and communities they patrolled, and is partially credited for keeping San Jose one of the safest large cities in America.^[4]

Uniform and Equipment

The uniform of the department consists of a dark navy blue shirt. On the left side of the chest the badge is pinned. The badge of a regular police officer is a silver badge reading San Jose Police Department and the officers badge number. More detailed and nicer badges are given to higher ranking police officers. Breast pockets appear on both sides of the shirt and the San Jose Police Department patch is worn on both arms. Pants are regular navy blue pants with a white line running down the side of the leg. SWAT uniforms are standard, however some SWAT officers have camouflage or green uniforms.

Weapons and Equipment

The San Jose Police Departments officers normally carry tasers. The standard taser for the department was recently upgraded and is the TASER(R) X26P(TM) Smart Weapon.^[5] Officers are issued OC Spray, handcuffs, a baton, flashlight plus a handgun and two spare magazines. In 2013 the department changed the standard issue, semi-automatic handgun from SIG Sauer to Glock. Squad cars are normally armed with shotguns and officers are allowed to purchase patrol rifles, which must be signed off by the chief for the officer to obtain the right to purchase and possess such weapons. An officer is also required to go on a four day course. The officers must purchase these weapons with their own money, they are allowed to bring them home and use them for personal/recreational use.^[6]

In mid-2014, the department returned a mine-resistant military vehicle to the federal government.^[7]

Mission statement

• Promote public safety
• Prevent, suppress, and investigate crimes
• Provide emergency and non-emergency services
• Create and maintain strong community partnerships
• Adapt a multidisciplinary approach to solving community problems
• Develop and promote a diverse, professional workforce

Department Chain of Command (Office of the Chief of Police)^[8]

• Chief of Police Larry Esquivel
• Assistant Chief Edgardo Garcia
• Deputy Chief Phan Ngo, Bureau of Administration
• Deputy Chief Christopher (Dave) Knopf, Bureau of Field Operations
• Deputy Chief Shawny Williams, Bureau of Investigations
• Deputy Chief Jeff Marozick, Bureau of Technical Services

Police divisions

• Foothill Division - http://www.sjpd.org/BFO/Foothill.asp
• Western Division - http://www.sjpd.org/BFO/Western.asp
• Southern Division - http://www.sjpd.org/BFO/Southern.asp
• Central Division - http://www.sjpd.org/BFO/Central.asp

Controversy

As with any department, the SJPD has had its fair share of controversy over the years. In 2014, the department had been found to be using high tech cellphone spying systems. Stingrays, as they are called look like cell phone towers but instead pick up and record cell phone data. It was showed that the federal government gave the department a $500,000 grant for the technology. The SJPD spokesperson refused to comment on the situation.^[9]

In July 2003, Cau Bich Tran was shot and killed in her kitchen by a SJPD officer after brandishing a 10-inch vegetable peeler. The incident led to controversy among San Jose's Vietnamese community. In 2005, the city of San Jose settled Tran's family's lawsuit for $1.8 million.^[10]

On Halloween 2011, a 27-year-old man was shot over 20 times by four SJPD officers and wounded, as he was dressed as a surgeon and had a toy gun in his waistband. In 2013, the city settled a lawsuit for $4.95 million, the largest settlement in San Jose involving police conduct.^[11]

In March 2014, Officer Geoffrey Graves was accused of raping a woman. He turned himself into Santa Clara County Jail and as arraigned on March 24.^[12]

In December 2014, SJPD officer Phillip White made statements on Twitter that he would kill people who would threaten him and his family and that he would be carrying a gun while off duty at movie theaters, in response to protests of the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner. White was subsequently placed on administrative leave. The San Jose Police Association have condemned the comments.^[13] In January 2015, prosecutors declined to file charges against White.^[14]

Ranks

Rank	Insignia
Chief
Assistant Chief
Deputy Chief
Captain
Lieutenant
Sergeant
Officer	N/A

Fallen officers

Since the establishment of the San Jose Police Department, 12 officers have died in the line of duty, the most recent being on March 24, 2015.^[15]

See also

• Fantasy flight - SJPD's Air Support Unit operated fantasy flights 2005-2007
• List of law enforcement agencies in California

References

External links

• San Jose Police Organizational Chart
• San Jose Police Department
• San José Police Department Reserve Unit
• San Jose Police Department recruiting
• San Jose Police Foundation