Get AI Briefings, Transcripts & Alerts on Local & National Government Meetings — Forever.
City auditor: San Jose police face staffing shortfalls, rising overtime; council accepts follow-up audit
Loading...
Summary
The City Auditor presented a follow-up audit finding slower-than-target emergency response times, rising overtime costs and gaps in CSO tracking; the council accepted the report and asked for disaggregated overtime reporting and updates on alternative-response options.
The San Jose City Council on April 30 accepted a follow-up audit from City Auditor Jerry Royce that found the Police Department is struggling with staffing shortfalls, rising overtime and uneven response times.
"At the time of this audit, 9 of the 10 recommendations had been implemented," City Auditor Jerry Royce said, summarizing the follow-up to the office's 2021 staffing review and noting new concerns about response times and overtime management.
The audit reported that in fiscal 2024–25 the department’s average response time for priority-1 calls was 8.1 minutes, exceeding the six-minute target, and that overtime costs reached $72 million — a 53% increase over five years. The report recommended improved reporting that excludes downgraded calls from response-time metrics, enhanced oversight of overtime approvals and new performance metrics for community service officers (CSOs).
Chief Paul Joseph said the department agreed with the recommendations and emphasized the tradeoffs the department faces between fiscal constraints and public safety. "We will not capture the Valley Fair shooter without a fair amount of overtime," the chief said, noting some high-profile investigations and a recent emphasis on de-escalation that requires more time per call.
Members of the public and council members noted long response experiences and called for clearer data. Public speaker Ted Scarlett said a single call took more than seven hours to get a response, describing a series of calls that stretched into dozens over two months. Another resident told the council he had waited hours while police failed to respond to a bike-theft location that was known to them.
Council members pressed staff for more detailed, disaggregated reporting on overtime by type — for example, mandatory minimum staffing, special events, and report-writing overtime — and a schedule to track redistricting effects on workloads. The deputy city manager and auditor said the city will include utilization in a monthly delegation-of-authority report and provide more transparency on how overtime is being used.
The council also discussed alternative response models and the county's Trust program; Deputy City Manager Jennifer Shambry said county funding for a local Trust vehicle had lapsed and the city is working with the county to evaluate next steps.
The audit included eight recommendations and the council accepted the report and the administration's response. The council requested follow-up reporting that disaggregates overtime categories, includes outcomes from redistricting pilots and tracks implementation of new overtime controls.
