Probation: 71 youths involved in juvenile custody use-of-force incidents Jan–July 2025; custody health found no excessive force

The Santa Clara County Public Safety and Justice Committee on Oct. 15 received a report from the Probation Department on staff use-of-force incidents in juvenile custodial settings covering Jan. 1–July 31, 2025. County research staff said 71 unique youths were involved in reported incidents during that six-month period and that custody health recorded "0 instances of use of excessive force."

The report, presented by Kimberly Jotco, manager of research and development for probation, explained the department's response sequence for incidents: staff call an emergency response team, supervisors and managers respond, youth are separated or escorted to medical and behavioral health teams, and supervisors notify parents or guardians. Medical assessments are performed within two hours and behavioral-health evaluations within four hours, the presentation said. Jotco said the department uses de‑escalation first and applies the least-restrictive defensive tactics if needed.

"We had a total of 71 unique youth involved in an incident of use of force. I need to highlight that there were 0 instances of use of excessive force," Jotco said during the committee presentation.

The presentation included a process flow and an overview of internal oversight: incident reports are completed by each responding staff member, supervisors review reports and managers and the deputy chief perform final reviews, and suspected excessive force triggers an investigation that may include Child Protective Services referrals and an independent sheriff's-office review. The department described an internal affairs track that routes…