The San Jose Police Department will reduce its patrol districts for the first time in 25 years, aiming to improve response times and balance officer workloads.
SAN JOSE, Calif. – The San Jose Police Department is changing its patrol district structure for the first time in 25 years, a move officials say will improve response times and promote more equitable policing.
The changes come after concerns from residents in outlying neighborhoods who have long complained about slower emergency response times.
Residents raise concerns
What they’re saying:
At the southern end of the San Francisco Bay sits Alviso, a former city annexed by San Jose in the 1960s that still maintains its distinct identity.
“They like it here, the people [who] live here. You’ve got the dogs roaming the streets, and everybody’s comfortable here,” said Paul, an Alviso neighborhood resident.
But some residents have expressed frustration with police response times.
City Councilmember David Cohen, who represents District 4, said his constituents — including some in Alviso — experienced the longest response times in 2023-24.
“It’s something I’ve been asking about for a long time — has been for us to redraw the districts in a way to improve response times in North San Jose and Alviso,” Cohen said.
Districts consolidated
What we know:
Deputy Police Chief Gina Tibaldi announced Tuesday that the department’s 16 patrol districts will be consolidated into 12. The average number of officers per district, currently about four, could increase to as many as eight.
Officials said the changes reflect population growth, demographic shifts and identified inequities in workload.
“The new model ensures equity in workload, it strengthens supervision, and it will help reduce response times as dispatchers will be able to send the closest officers to a call for service,” Tibaldi said.
Police officials said the updated district map better aligns staffing levels with call volume while preserving established neighborhood boundaries.
Cohen said the changes could reduce response times in his district by as much as four minutes.
“If there was something serious happening, the response time for Priority 1 calls could make a difference,” Cohen said.
Paul said he supports the move.
“I think it sounds like an improvement, and I imagine most people would enjoy changes to make it quicker,” he said.
Implementation timeline
What’s next:
The new 12-district model will take effect during the second week of November.
Residents can provide input on the redistricting plan at engage.sjpd.org/redistricting.
The Source: This story was written based on information from the San Jose Police Department, District 4 Councilman David Cohen, and Alviso residents.