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Audit follow‑up finds San Jose police response times lag targets; overtime and vacancies cited
Summary
A City Auditor follow‑up found the San Jose Police Department averaged 8.1 minutes for priority‑one responses (target 6 minutes), reported heavy reliance on overtime ($72M in FY 2425) and ongoing staffing challenges; staff recommended reporting refinements and tracking outcomes from redistricting and hiring efforts.
Staff presenting a follow‑up to the City Auditor’s 2021 audit told the committee the department’s average response time for priority‑one calls in fiscal year 2425 was 8.1 minutes, exceeding the six‑minute target. The audit noted variation across police districts and recommended updating response‑time calculations to exclude calls downgraded after dispatch so results better reflect performance.
The audit team reported sustained staffing challenges that have increased reliance on overtime. Presenters said overtime accounted for nearly one quarter of all sworn hours and that 124 sworn staff worked more than 1,000 overtime hours in fiscal year 2425. The audit also reported overtime costs of about $72 million in FY 2425, a 53% increase over five years, and raised concerns about sustainability and officer wellness.
The audit recognized implementation of new recruitment and retention initiatives and said nine of ten prior recommendations from the 2021 audit had been implemented; it proposed augmenting reporting to show outcomes of hiring and retention efforts and monitoring compliance with overtime approvals.
Police Chief Paul Joseph said the department generally accepted the recommendations but noted concern about aligning CSO call types without removing operational flexibility. "We do agree with the recommendations in total, with the one exception that Joe mentioned about, we want to align the call types that the CSOs go to without removing any call types that are currently authorized," Chief Joseph said.
Council Member Kamei moved acceptance of the audit follow‑up; the committee voted to accept the report.
