Santa Clara County Crime & Justice Articles

Santa Clara County jail deaths reached a 20-year high in 2024.
Ten people died in the custody of the Sheriff's Office last year across the main jail, Elmwood Correctional Facility and county hospitals where deputies transported incarcerated people for medical …

Rental listing scams are becoming more elaborate, with local authorities warning residents to take caution.
When Shereen Jarrett was searching for an affordable apartment during the months she was  homeless, numerous red flags popped up. After visiting properties, she learned …

On Jan. 1, the Julie A. Emede official became Presiding Judge, while the Eric S. Geffon was named an assistant presiding judge, with the Santa Clara County Superior Court.

Tragedy and a lack of workplace safety measures led one Silicon Valley lawmaker to call for tighter regulations to protect employees.
State Sen. Dave Cortese’s bill, SB 553, occupational safety: workplace violence took effect this summer. The bill focuses on …

San Jose police said Lucien Cabrera, 19, built illegal guns in his San Jose home and brazenly marketed them on social media.

Santa Clara County's top educator says a series of investigations into his ousted predecessor have revealed even more issues beyond major allegations of misspending public funds and malfeasance and now the findings are being turned over to authorities.
Former superintendent …

Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department Chief Jamie Field appeared before Council on Dec. 3 to go over the hundreds of pages prepared by a consultant tasked with helping the force prepare a roadmap for the years ahead, as Los Gatos …

Last week, as the country’s attention was transfixed on the manhunt for the person who gunned down a health insurance executive—which resulted in an outpouring of personal stories about patients being mistreated by the nation’s medical care system—the Santa Clara …

Human flesh and blood. Confidential patient information. Fentanyl.
Santa Clara County’s top prosecutor alleges his investigators found these items and more after a covert, yearlong investigation into illegal dumping by Valley Medical Center, St. Louise and O'Connor hospitals. Investigators in …

A jury has found Santa Clara Vice Mayor Anthony Becker guilty of perjury and failing to uphold his duties as a public official by leaking a 2022 Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury report.
The verdict ends Becker’s month-long trial, …

Santa Clara County on Dec. 2 launched its new “CARE Court” process, a 24-month program that offers support for people facing mental health challenges and are at risk of becoming embroiled in the criminal court system.

Palo Alto Police Department’s latest crime-fighting tool is silent, passive and largely invisible unless you know where to look.
The city introduced this tool last spring, when it became just the latest municipality to partner with Flock Safety to mount …

Santa Clara County deputies brag about beating incarcerated people "between floors" and other brutal behavior at the county's embattled jail, according to screenshots obtained exclusively by San José Spotlight.
In a private Facebook group that includes 270 former correctional officers …

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday announced the appointment of two Superior Court judges in Santa Clara County, Jon Heaberlin and Meghan Piano. The new judges were among 10 Superior Court judges and two Court of Appeal justices appointed statewide. Heaberlin …

Illegal rent increases at a mobile home park just outside the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds have San Jose housing department staff turning to the city attorney for help.
A Nov. 7 report by Housing Director Erik L. Soliván alleges the …

A state transparency law is shedding light on the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s cache of semi-automatic weapons – and publicizing the lesser known police agencies inside California’s top prosecutor offices.
District Attorney Jeff Rosen’s office this year disclosed the …

Another top San Jose political leader was contacted about Councilmember Omar Torres — now facing charges of molestation and child sex crimes — more than a year before his downfall.
Screenshots obtained by San José Spotlight shows a tipster — …

San Jose City Councilmember Omar Torres was arrested today on child molestation charges, hours after submitting his resignation to city officials. He is being held without bail tonight, according to the Santa Clara County Department of Correction.

Candidates on both sides of a historic race to seat Santa Clara County’s first Vietnamese American supervisor say their campaign signs have been stolen, torn and defaced. One San Jose leader wants to investigate who's behind it.
District 7 San …

Residents of the Loma Verde and Cadillac/Winchester neighborhoods were victims of gang-related violent crimes, including assault with deadly weapons, carjacking and robbery.