A recruit headed to the Palo Alto Police Department was among 40 graduates of Basic Academy Class 36 at the Santa Clara County Justice Training Center, according to the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office.
The class included recruits from 13 Northern California agencies, including Palo Alto Police. Nearly 60 recruits started the seven-month program. Forty made it to the stage, according to the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office.
The graduation ceremony took place at Bethel Church in San Jose, where Sheriff Robert Jonsen administered the oath before each recruit was pinned with a badge. Gilroy Mayor Greg Bozzo delivered the keynote address.
"The badge you wear represents responsibility, sacrifice and hope," Bozzo told the graduates. "Your oath represents honor. And your actions will represent the trust that all of us place in you."
Class President Damien Percy, who previously served several years as a correctional deputy in the Sheriff's Office Custody Bureau, was one of five recruits who transferred from custody to patrol. Percy said the academy pushed recruits to their limits physically, mentally and emotionally. The graduating class adopted the motto: "Who's going to stop us? Nobody!"
What it means for Palo Alto
The exact number of Palo Alto recruits in Class 36 has not been disclosed. But any additions come at a critical time for a department struggling to fill its ranks.
As of June, the Palo Alto Police Department had 12 vacant sworn officer positions, police Lt. Nicolas Martinez told Palo Alto Online. The department is budgeted for 141 full-time sworn officers, still short of its pre-pandemic level of 155.
The staffing gap has driven overtime costs well past budget projections. A May Baker Tilly audit found that police overtime was budgeted at roughly $1 million in 2024 but actual spending reached nearly $3.5 million, Palo Alto Online reported. Three in four sworn officers reported working overtime that fiscal year. The vast majority of those hours went toward filling vacancies or meeting minimum staffing levels.
To compete for experienced officers, the City Council in June approved new hiring incentives including cash bonuses, extra vacation time, deferred compensation and relocation expenses for lateral hires. Police Chief James Reifschneider told the Finance Committee in May that surrounding agencies prominently advertise similar incentives, putting Palo Alto at a competitive disadvantage.
Other agencies receiving officers from Class 36 include Campbell, Fremont, Gilroy, Los Gatos, Milpitas, Morgan Hill, Salinas, San Jose State and Santa Cruz police departments, along with the San Mateo County and Santa Cruz County sheriff's offices. Seventeen of the 40 graduates will serve the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office.
