San Jose

‘They Can Only Do So Much': San Jose Police Department Chief Worried About Officer Staffing, Fatigue

Between March 16 and August 16 of this year, more than 1,400 times officers have been ordered to work overtime.

San Jose Police Chief Eddie Garcia on Tuesday will push the city to declare a staffing emergency.

An emergency declaration would allow the chief to pull 47 detectives from their assignments and put them in patrol cars to help keep the community and other officers safe.

Garcia said Friday and Saturday nights are especially sleepless for him knowing his men and women are scrambling from call to call.

"You know when the phone rings, my heart drops because there's only a few reasons I get that call. And it's brutal and I do not want to give that flag again, especially with something that I could have been helping with."

San Jose police officers said the last few months have been exhausting.

Between March 16 and August 16 of this year, more than 1,400 times officers have been ordered to work overtime. And most of those times, the overtime was for at least six hours.

"Our officers are tired," Garcia said. "They're out there doing an amazing job, but they can only do so much."

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