The San Jose Police Department switched to a new patrol map on Sunday, Nov. 8, cutting its patrol districts from 16 to 12 in the first redesign in more than 25 years.
Why it matters: Police say the change should get officers to emergencies faster. "The existing patrol map no longer reflects operational reality," the department said in a release reported by Bay City News via SFGATE. "This redistricting is designed to fix that."
What changes
- District-wide dispatching replaces beat-based dispatching, so dispatchers can send the closest available units instead of holding calls for a specific beat officer.
- The department says the plan balances workload and calls for service, strengthens supervision and improves radio communication while keeping established neighborhoods together.
- Boundaries follow natural features, major roads and historical community lines.
When the plan was announced in February, Deputy Chief Gina Tibaldi said the average number of officers per district, about four, could rise to as many as eight, KTVU reported. Councilmember David Cohen said response times in his North San Jose and Alviso district, among the city's slowest in 2023-24, could drop by as much as four minutes.