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Los Gatos police report shows new hires, a $250,000 DUI grant and expanded technology plans
Summary
Chief Field told the council the department hired officers, promoted staff, won a nearly $250,000 DUI/enforcement grant, and is exploring expanded Axon systems, a real‑time crime center, drone first‑responder technology and cautious use of automated license‑plate readers.
Los Gatos Police Chief Field told the Town Council on Aug. 19 that the department is working to stabilize staffing, expand training and invest in technology to maintain public safety as the town grows.
Chief Field told the council the department has hired three officers during the report period and promoted Sergeant Burley; a recently opened captain’s position will be filled by Captain Greg Boromeo. “We are budgeted for 39 officers. Right now on roster we have 35,” the chief said, adding that a lateral officer will join shortly and that the department continues recruitment.
The nut graf: staff highlighted a nearly $250,000 grant awarded in May to expand DUI enforcement, pay for two additional vehicles and support multiple training courses for field sobriety and impaired‑driving detection. The chief said the grant “will increase our ability for the enforcement and for the visibility as well,” and that the two vehicles would remain in the department fleet.
Chief Field outlined technology and community‑policing priorities: further deployment of Axon systems for body‑worn and in‑car cameras and evidence management, investigation of a real‑time crime center that pairs with private and town cameras, and a drone program for first response. He also discussed targeted enforcement efforts and a community survey that showed improved public ratings for the department.
On automated license‑plate readers the chief said the town uses a Flock system and has limited data retention and sharing. “We only hold on to the data for up to 30 days,” he said, adding the system is audited and shared only within the county for investigative purposes; he emphasized policy controls and the need for transparency.
Council members asked about the size and operational effects of the DUI grant (Chief Field said it funds two vehicles and about 15 trainings), ebike enforcement (Chief Field said officers focused on education, saturation patrols and issued roughly two ebike‑related citations on the days after school started), and the staffing challenges tied to maintaining response times. Chief Field reported an average priority‑one response time of about 3.5 minutes for the reporting period.
What comes next: Council asked staff to proceed with space‑assessment work for consolidation of police operations and to return with proposals for technology and alarm‑ordinance updates.
Sources: presentations and Q&A at the Aug. 19, 2025 Los Gatos Town Council meeting; quotes are from Chief Field’s presentation.
