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Published on 06/29/1998 All articles from this issue

Supes vote funds for more sheriff services

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By Joanne Griffith Domingue / Town Crier Staff Writer

The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors recently voted funds to add two sergeants to the Westside Sheriff's office that serves the unincorporated areas of Los Altos and Los Altos Hills. The Westside station also provides law enforcement for its contract cities of Los Altos Hills, Cupertino and Saratoga.

"Our goal is to enhance the level of public safety," said Joe Simitian, the county supervisor who represents the north county on the board. "The new sergeants give the sheriff's department additional resources and give our West Valley residents an even safer place to live."

One of the new officers will "supervise the midnight shift and be coordinating emergency services," said Cory Jasperson, a spokesman in Simitian's office. "There had been a gap in services. It is important to have supervision there."

The supervisor is in the field "in a car marked supervisor," said Capt. Bob Wilson, station commander for the Westside office. "When the car pulls up you know who to talk to."

As recently as five years ago, the midnight shift was "quiet enough not to be a problem," Wilson said. And the supervision came from the main sheriff's office in San Jose. Now, the level of activity is such that additional Westside staff is needed.

"We really rely on our supervisors to make decisions," Wilson said.

The types of activities officers might get during the midnight shift in the Los Altos area include domestic violence, which "is all too common," Wilson said. Officers also receive calls regarding burglary, prowlers, singular and multiple vehicle accidents.

"It's the supervisor's job to coordinate activity," Wilson said.

Providing this additional service will have a "direct impact on the contract cities," Jasperson said.

The second sergeant will work exclusively with Cupertino regarding crime prevention and will work out of an office at city hall in Cupertino, Jasperson said.

Currently, about 15 percent of the sheriff services are in the unincorporated areas, Wilson said, and 85 percent are with the contract cities.

Funds for the additional sergeants were OK'd at the June 19 meeting when the supervisors approved the county's $2.03 billion budget for fiscal year 1998-1999.