Los Gatos police department continues to face chronic understaffing

Despite hiring and recruitment efforts, the number of sworn police officers in the Los Gatos Monte Sereno Police Department continues to stay below the 39 positions the department has budgeted for.

Police Chief Jamie Field presented her second report of the year on the status of the department’s services  at a Los Gatos Town Council meeting on Aug. 20. Field’s report outlined the department’s work in areas like recruitment, hiring and community outreach.

While new hires have brought the number of sworn officers to 33, three of these officers are currently unavailable due to injury or training, Field’s report states. The department has not had 39 officers employed since 2018, according to the report.

Though nine officers left the department in the first half of 2024, the department managed to replace almost all of them.

“We were actually able to hire seven sworn members, which is the highest number that I can recall and even those that are further beyond me can recall on record,” Field said. “So that was very exciting because that’s quite a testament to our efforts.”

In addition to officers, the department’s dispatcher ranks are also thin, with only six of eight positions filled.

“The data reflect some longstanding residents’ observations that they may not see marked patrol units as frequently, as there are not as many police officers available as there were in the past,” the report reads. “The officers have more roles and responsibilities with the department staffing model not increasing in conjunction with call volume, mandates and population.”

The department has sought to address staffing shortages by engaging community service officers and reserve police officers, as well as per diem dispatchers.

The department’s communications staff put in a total of 1,211 overtime hours from January to June of this year, down from the 1,771 hours staff worked overtime during the same period in 2023. The department’s sworn staff worked a total of 4,724 hours of overtime from January to June of this year, a slight increase from the 4,614 overtime hours worked during the same period last year.

The department has held interviews for dispatchers or officers every other month and has maintained high standards for its employees, according to the report.

The report states that the department’s standards for its officers, who must have at least 60 college credits or four years in the military with an honorable discharge, exceed the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training’s minimum requirements.

“The ability to demonstrate a minimum number of college credits or military service shows the aptitude, independent drive and commitment to complete a field training program, investigation or police report,” the report reads.