San Jose Cops Facing Layoffs Find Work In Santa Cruz Co.
SAN JOSE (KCBS) - San Jose's loss may be Santa Cruz County's gain - at least when it comes to their respective law enforcement units. Faced with the very real possibility of layoffs, some of San Jose's sworn officers are heading to the coast and are finding work there.
In fact, at least four San Jose police officers considered likely to be laid off this summer have already been hired as deputies for the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Department. Hopes were high that more would be hired in the near future.
"We've invested a lot of money as a department, as a city, to train these officers. We've given them the training that allows them now to actually turn around and seek employment elsewhere," reasoned San Jose police department spokesman, Officer Jose Garcia. "We hope that they can move on and if there's an opportunity for them to return, you know, that's one thing we look at as a possibility, to rehire them if the opportunity arises in the future."
KCBS' Matt Bigler Reports:
He acknowledged that, given the state of the economy, police work is still hard to come by as so many police departments - locally and all over the state - face deep budget cuts.
In San Jose alone, 106 police officers received layoff notices last month, although negotiations with the officers' union continued in an effort to save at least some of those jobs.
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