San Jose Police Officers Reassigned To Patrol Duty Amid Staff Shortage
SAN JOSE (KCBS) - The San Jose Police Department is temporarily reassigning many of its officers to work patrol duty as overall staff levels continue to drop due to retirements and resignations.
In attempt to reduce emergency response times, at least 78 police officers that normally work in schools or administration are being temporarily reassigned to patrol.
San Jose Police Reassigns Cops To Patrol Duty To Remedy Staff Shortage
The changes come as the department continues to lose officers.
"It's an outrageously dangerous number that we have dropped to in San Jose. We're at all-time lows. It's a public safety crisis that City Hall is not addressing," James Gonzales, a police union board member, recently told KCBS.
The reassigned officers will work one ten-hour day per month in a patrol car while still being responsible for their regular assignments.
The department is down to 900 officers available for full-time duty but more are expected to join the ranks son as 38 officers in field training and another 53 recruits are in the police academy.
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