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Santa Clara County Public Safety Overview



California Local Pin Marker Get To Know A Group

California Police Activities League is a nonprofit organization that fosters positive relationship between young people and police officers. It provides youth-oriented programs and training that helps reduce juvenile crime. The PAL operates multiple chapters around the state.

California Local Pin Marker Local Public Safety Digest

How's the Water? Cold. Really Cold.

05/09/2025

As the warm weather season begins, a warning to beware of jumping into lakes, rivers and streams.

In Conversation: State Fire Marshal Daniel Berlant

05/09/2025

A conversation with State Fire Marshal Daniel Berlant about the new fire hazard maps and how local communities are preparing for widfires.

California Local Pin Marker Recent Articles

Morgan Hill Times logo LOCAL NEWS
Hernandez Appointed Morgan Hill’s New Fire Chief

Marcus Hernandez, a Cal Fire veteran who began his career in 2003, was recently appointed Morgan Hill’s new fire chief.

San Jose Spotlight logo LOCAL NEWS
San Jose Fire Hid Drug Tampering, Patient Exposure

San Jose firefighters raised internal alarms in 2023 about addictive painkillers that went missing from their paramedic drug inventories, and gave morphine from tampered vials to patients with traumatic injuries, according to email records obtained by San José Spotlight.
The …

Local News Matters logo LOCAL NEWS
Santa Clara County Confirms First OD Death Due to Drug 100 Times Stronger Than Fentanyl

The Santa Clara County Medical Examiner this week confirmed the county’s first overdose death due to carfentanil, a drug 100 times more potent than fentanyl.A 39-year-old man was found dead last week with fake M30 pills made to look like …

San Jose Spotlight logo LOCAL NEWS
Santa Clara County Uses of Force Drop, Hospital Visits Rise

The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office is reporting a slight downtick in uses of force last year — yet deputies sent more people to the hospital.
The annual use of force report shows total incidents, such as deputies punching people …

San Jose Spotlight logo LOCAL NEWS
San Jose Hockey Arenas to Get Security Upgrades

San Jose's premier hockey arenas are receiving security upgrades to improve fan safety as attendance steadily increases.
The City Council unanimously approved $1 million in improvements Tuesday for SAP Center and Sharks Ice at San Jose — including vehicle barriers …

San Jose Spotlight logo LOCAL NEWS
Los Gatos Group Collaborates on Reducing Wildfire Risk

One group is clearing hundreds of forestland acreage in one of the largest wildfire risk reduction projects in Santa Clara County.
The Los Gatos Creek Watershed Collaboration began testing tools to clear brush and restore the forest’s ecosystem on 155 …

San Jose Spotlight logo LOCAL NEWS
San Jose Fire Chief in Hot Seat Over Drug Oversight Failures

To save money, San Jose leaders cut a critical fire department program last year that tracked the storage of addictive painkillers for cross-trained firefighter paramedics. Nine months later, the theft of opioids from nearly two dozen fire stations has raised …

Morgan Hill Times logo LOCAL NEWS
New Cal Fire Map Shows Wildfire Risk Shift to the East in Morgan Hill

New state fire maps released for Morgan Hill show significant shifts in wildfire risk designations, with some areas seeing decreased hazard levels while others face stricter building and maintenance requirements.

Gilroy Dispatch logo LOCAL NEWS
Property Owners, Voters Can Protest Dissolution of South County Fire District

A Santa Clara County commission will hold a hearing on May 7 to receive written protests regarding a proposal to dissolve the South Santa Clara County Fire Protection District.

San Jose Spotlight logo LOCAL NEWS
San Jose Police and Fire Unions Want Reserve Funds to Fill Vacancies

Union leaders representing hundreds of San Jose police officers, firefighters and other workers said they shouldn’t be dealing with service and staffing cuts when the city has millions in reserve funds.
Leaders with the San Jose Police Officers’ Association and …

Featured

A Pyrocumulus cloud generated by the Dixie Fire in July, 2021.
What is Fire 'Containment?' That and Other Terms, Explained
What does it mean when firefighters call a fire "contained?" Here's a brief guide to commonly used fire prevention terminology.
States have expansive powers to protect the health of the general public.
The State’s Broad Power to Protect Public Health, Explained
Since long before the COVID-19 pandemic, states have possessed broad authority to protect public health.
California will soon be getting a new hotline number as an alternative to 911 for mental health crises.
988, the New Mental Health Emergency Number, Explained
Here's the story behind that new service, and the original 911 number.
Mosquitos kill about 725,000 people every year, worldwide.
Taking a Bite Out of the Mosquito Population
How local government tries to control the world’s deadliest wild animal—the mosquito.
There are more than 300 community service districts in California.
Community Services Districts, Explained
Areas that the county overlooks can form their own local governments.
How Not to Feel the Burn
These groups help residents preserve their property, health and life.
Supercell storms are just one of many weather phenomena in the era of climate change.
The New Vocabulary of the Climate Change Era
As climate change causes more extreme and unusual weather, we need a new set of terms to describe the various phenomena
Though it’s the most famous, the San Andreas Fault is just one of more than 500 active faults in California.
Battening Down for the Big One
Making it through the earthquake is easy—the hard part comes later.
Many of Robert Kerbeck’s neighbors in Malibu Park lost their homes in the 2018 Woolsey Fire, which left behind lots where only chimneys still stood.
Give Your Home a Fighting Chance in a Wildfire
Wildfires are larger, more frequent, and more ferocious—so be prepared.
Thousands of homeowners have been kicked off their fire insurance policies.
California Fire Insurance Crisis: How the State Helps Homeowners
The state tries persuading insurance companies to cover homes in fire zones.
With CERT training, volunteers can learn firefighting skills.
Emergency Teamwork
With CERT training, ordinary civilians can play critical roles in protecting their communities.
View of the flooded San Lorenzo River Park Benchlands in Santa Cruz, California on New Year's Eve 2022.
Communicating During Disaster and Crisis
Recent lessons learned over days of local disaster.
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