PSC 07-10-2025 Supplemental Reports
PSC Meeting
July 10, 2025
Desk Items
Item #3
Public Safety Subcommittee
Update
Findings on What Needs are
Felt at the Sheriff's Dept.
Cupertino Public Safety Commission
Findings/Learnings from Ride-along
•ALPR is a high -frequency help
•Tackling retention
•In the long run, low staffing inevitably will lead to sacrifices of time
or standards.
•Always on the look out for the RIGHT people (recruiting)
•Shoutout to Deputy Justin Christian
Conversation with Sgt. Davis
•Hiring process is a bottleneck
-Diligence is required, but the time from application submission to becoming a deputy
can take a year.
-Not a competitive timeline compared to other jobs
•Procurement is quite slow
-To a degree, it's for a reason, but still...
-ALPR approval took a LONG time in Cupertino.
-Needed tools prove their worth quickly (first success story of Cupertino
ALPR was yesterday, catching a stolen car)
Staffing
•In Cupertino (contract city), patrol minimums are maintained
o But having more deputies on patrol always helps.
•Low county-wide staffing affects the community though
o e.g. court officers, back -office tasks.
o The work still gets done regardless, but it inevitably eats into time still (e.g.
mandatory OT for court officer shortage)
•Why?
o Popularity / Scrutiny
o Perceived competitiveness against other jobs/careers
o Still a challenge to find the RIGHT candidates
How can Cupertino help?
•Streamlining procurement process for needed tools like ALPR
•Promoting the Sheriff's Academy and law enforcement careers