(d)2: City Council Focus Area Status
Report: Increasing Community Safety
Executing Work While Building the Infrastructure for
Long-Term Impact
Public Safety, Finance and Strategic Support Committee
December 4, 2025
City of San José
City Manager’s Office
Jennifer Schembri, Deputy City Manager, City Manager’s Office Robert Sapien, Fire Chief, San José Fire Department
Stephen Donohue, Captain, San José Police Department
Andrea Flores Shelton, Assistant Director, Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Department John Ristow, Director, Department of Transportation
Focus Areas 2.0 – City Council Approved Evolution
Agenda
1 2
3 Execution as Learning – Focus Area Portfolio Update
What’s Next? Focus Areas and the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026-2027 Budget Process
2 We are cultivating an organizational mindset
of learning and continuous improvement that
will drive results for our community
▪ While data support storytelling, numbers alone do not show progress and require context setting
▪ Learning in public builds trust and accountability
▪ Retrospection contributes to learning and understanding ▪ Progress requires humility, iteration, and commitment (and psychological safety for execution)
3 Focus Area 2.0 – City Council Approved Evolution
Philosophy Behind 2.0
We are cultivating an organizational mindset of
learning and continuous improvement…with
different types of questions
▪ What are we seeing in our metrics to date? How are we making sense of what we’re seeing?
▪ What are we learning?
▪ What are we observing? What are we missing? What’s
getting in the way?
▪ What kind of support would be helpful?
▪ What will we adjust in the next cycle to have the most impact? 4 Focus Area 2.0 – City Council Approved Evolution
Philosophy Behind 2.0
Logic models are the backbone
of Focus Areas 2.0
They help us clarify how our work is
intended to create impact by clearly aligning
strategies with problems and articulating
testable assumptions that we can learn from
and adapt to.
5 Each near-term goal has
success measures that
help tell the story of
whether the change
initiatives within the goal
are making an impact;
they serve as feedback
loops. In addition to a
goal’s success
measure(s), individual
change initiatives have
operational measures to
track progress.
Indicators measure progress
towards long-term goals. Indicators
NearTerm
Goals
Near-term goals are things the City aims to get done over the next fiscal year to help reach bigger, long-term goals. They are clear, measurable, and realistic, and help guide the day-to-day work of City departments.
These goals include early signs of progress that show what’s working, what’s not, and where changes might be needed.
Change initiatives are chosen for each near-term goal based on a hypothesis for how they can help the City achieve the goal. Some may involve work the team has done successfully before but needs to be assessed, while others may be new ideas worth testing.
Metrics
Long-term goals focus on big-picture results that matter to residents (outcomes). These goals look at past outcomes to show how the city is doing over time. The progress is measured with clear indicators.
Long-Term
Goal
Problem
These are common, well-understood challenges that help explain what’s needed to reach long-term goals. Each problem connects clearly to a near-term goal and a project that you think can help fix it. 6 Focus Area 2.0 – City Council Approved Evolution
Logic Model Structure
Focus Area 2.0 – City Council Approved Evolution
Building the Infrastructure for Long-Term Impact (June – December 2025) Month (2025)
July -
September
Activities focused on people, processes, and technology to sustain new learning infrastructure September 30
Milestone Purpose
Council adoption of Model 2.0 Formalized governance and accountability structure
October -
November
Completion of retrospective trainings and dashboard buildouts • Provided retrospective trainings for execution leaders in each Focus Area; training on performance leadership
• Held first monthly retrospectives in each Focus Area
• Conducted user experience interviews for publish dashboards • Finalized data structure and collected data sets for dashboards Capacity building and operational
rollout
December Committee briefings and launch of first iteration of dynamic publish dashboards Community learning
Completion of FY 2025-2026 logic models and retrospective training series • Conducted staff workshops and deep-dive consultations • Articulated Long-Term Goals, Problem Areas, Change Initiatives, and Near-Term Goals
• Established indicators and metrics to serve as feedback loops • Initiated implementation of select change initiatives Established foundations for shared
understanding and learning
Increasing Community
Safety Focus Area
8 Execution as Learning
What’s going well. San José is proud to be recognized as the nation’s safest major city, thanks to low crime rates, strong public safety services, and connected neighborhoods. As of June 2025, more than 80% of residents said they feel safe in their neighborhood—an increase of 10% since September
2023.
Main Challenges Moving Forward. While overall crime rates continue to decline and remain lower than in peer cities, ongoing efforts are needed to keep this progress moving forward. Lean staffing and high 911 call volumes continue to put pressure on police and fire response times. On our streets, speeding is the primary cause of fatalities and serious injuries.
The City is advancing a safety-first approach to transportation to make our streets safer for everyone.
San José residents live in a community with responsive emergency services and safe streets and roads..
Long-Term
Goal
Context Indicator
Increasing Community Safety Focus Area
9 0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Q1 FY24 Q2 FY24 Q3 FY24 Q4 FY24 Q1 FY25 Q2 FY25 Q3 FY25 Q4 FY25 Q1 FY26 Resident Safety Perception
% of residents rating San José as "very safe" or "somewhat safe" City Safety Perception
Neighborhood Safety Perception
Downtown Safety Perception
City: +9% Year-over-Year (YoY)
Neighborhood: +5% YoY
Downtown: +9% YoY
Problem 1. Emergency Response.
The policing profession faces a
workforce crisis nationwide, making it
harder than ever to recruit and retain
qualified officers. Fire station demands
challenge existing capacity, especially
near the City’s central core.
The San José Police and Fire Departments
are among the most respected public
safety agencies in the industry. The City is
also a leader in developing innovative
emergency response solutions.
The City is increasing academy
recruitment efforts and implementing
new opportunities to improve emergency
response deployment capacity.
Context
San José residents live in a community with responsive emergency services and safe streets and roads.
Long-Term
Goal
Increasing Community Safety Focus Area
10 0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Q1
FY24
Q2
FY24
Q3
FY24
Q4
FY24
Q1
FY25
Q2
FY25
Q3
FY25
Q4
FY25
Q1
FY26
Police Priority 1 Response
Compliance
Police Priority 1 Response: +2% YoY
Police Priority 1 Call Volume: -8% YoY
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Q1
FY24
Q2
FY24
Q3
FY24
Q4
FY24
Q1
FY25
Q2
FY25
Q3
FY25
Q4
FY25
Q1
FY26
Fire Priority 1 Response
Compliance
Fire Priority 1 Response: +2% YoY
Fire Priority 1 Call Volume: -10% YoY
Problem 1. Emergency Response.
Goal 1.1 Police Marketing and Recruitment: Increase Police Academy class size to 40 police officers enrolled per academy class in FY 2025-2026 (SJ54, SJ55, SJ56), including lateral police officers hired.
Goal 1.2 Police Report Transcription Pilot: Implement a report transcription technology pilot and assess the impact on police officer report-writing time by December 2025.
Goal 1.3 Police Patrol Deployment Projects: Evaluate the impact of improving police response times by completing three patrol deployment projects by June 2026.
Goal 1.4 Fire Station 32: Open Fire Station 32 with a single company by June 2026.
Goal 1.5 Fire Closest Unit Dispatch: Implement Closest Unit Dispatch for medical only calls for service by June 2026 to dispatch resources based upon apparatus proximity to the incident rather than to station location.
San José residents live in a community with responsive emergency services and safe streets and roads.
Long-Term
Goal
Increasing Community Safety Focus Area
11 Status
Green – On track
Yellow – At risk
Red – Off track
Not Started
Problem 1. Emergency Response.
San José residents live in a community with responsive emergency services and safe streets and roads.
Long-Term
Goal
Increasing Community Safety Focus Area
12 Lessons Learned:
• Police Recruitment. Localized recruitment strategies are needed to strengthen applicant pools and increase academy class sizes; early efforts show higher participation by women. • Police Report Transcription Pilot. Pilot completed, which showed the tested tool was not mature enough; the Department will evaluate alternative, more promising products.
Problem 2. Crisis Response.
Goal 2.1 911-988 Call Transfer Program: Increase call transfer volume from less than 10 calls per month to 75 calls per month by June 2026 to better integrate the emergency response system (911) and crisis response system (988).
Goal 2.2 988 Community Education: Increase community awareness of 988 from 25% to 30% by June 2026.
Goal 2.3 First Responder Fee Program: Implement the First Responder Fee program by January 2026 to help recover costs related to emergency medical care.
San José residents live in a community with responsive emergency services and safe streets and roads.
Long-Term
Goal
Increasing Community Safety Focus Area
13 Status
Green – On track
Yellow – At risk
Red – Off track
Not Started
Problem 2. Crisis Response.
San José residents live in a community with responsive emergency services and safe streets and roads.
Long-Term
Goal
Increasing Community Safety Focus Area
14 Lessons Learned:
• 911-988 Call Transfer Program. Training investments significantly increased staff confidence and transfer volumes (more than 10 times growth), highlighting the value of focused professional development.
• First Responder Fee Program. Line personnel play a critical role in public messaging; early training and updated FAQs are essential for a successful program launch in January 2026. • County Coordination. Recent City and County updates reinforce the need to align crisis response programs (e.g., SJ TRUST expansion pilot, PERT transition).
Problem 3. Crime Reduction.
Some crime types across California
remain stagnant.
Compared to other large cities, the
City stands out for having lower rates
of both violent crime and property
crime.
The City is pursuing targeted crime
reduction strategies.
Context
San José residents live in a community with responsive emergency services and safe streets and roads.
Long-Term
Goal
Increasing Community Safety Focus Area
15 0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
Q1 FY24 Q2 FY24 Q3 FY24 Q4 FY24 Q1 FY25 Q2 FY25 Q3 FY25 Q4 FY25 Q1 FY26 Crimes per 100,000 Population
Crimes Against Persons
Crimes Against Property
Crimes Against Society
Crimes Against Persons: -12% YoY
Crimes Against Property: -8% YoY
Crimes Against Society: +5% YoY
Problem 3. Crime Reduction.
Goal 3.1 Real-Time Intelligence Center: Operationalize 1,020 public safety cameras, 1,000 private network cameras, and 490 ALPRs in the Real Time Intelligence Center by June 2026 to increase the City’s ability to hold offenders accountable.
Goal 3.2 Organized Retail Theft Detail: Increase efforts to combat organized retail theft by increasing the number of retail theft cases submitted to the DA’s Office from around 1,000 in FY 2022-2023 (prior to establishing ORT Detail) to 2,000 in FY 2025-2026.
Goal 3.3 Mission Street Recovery Station: Expand the types of referrals made to the Mission Street Recovery Station by June 2026 and evaluate effectiveness.
San José residents live in a community with responsive emergency services and safe streets and roads.
Long-Term
Goal
Increasing Community Safety Focus Area
Goal 3.4 Proposition 36: Monitor implementation of Proposition 36 during the fiscal year and identify areas of advocacy.
Goal 3.5 SJ Youth Empowerment Alliance: Implement one new school site with intervention programs and launch two new demonstration sites for system of care neighborhood programs by June 2026 as part of the City’s strategic plan to prevent youth violence. 16 Status
Green – On track
Yellow – At risk
Red – Off track
Not Started
Problem 3. Crime Reduction.
San José residents live in a community with responsive emergency services and safe streets and roads.
Long-Term
Goal
Increasing Community Safety Focus Area
17 Lessons Learned:
• Organized Retail Theft Detail. Submitted nearly 250 cases to the District Attorney’s Office in Quarter 1; investigations are resulting in successful filings. • Mission Street Recovery Station. Negotiations with the County are taking longer than anticipated to expand referral types, but City staff have now identified a mutual solution that should allow for increased referrals.
• SJ Youth Empowerment Alliance. Successfully identified partnerships with one priority school and two demonstration sites to support strategies with a January 2026 launch.
Problem 4. Traffic Safety.
Changing driving behavior and
building safer streets in a large City
takes time.
The City has made important strides
towards Vision Zero over the past
decade.
The City is investing in
infrastructure improvements and
new roadway technologies to
increase safety.
Context
San José residents live in a community with responsive emergency services and safe streets and roads.
Long-Term
Goal
Increasing Community Safety Focus Area
18 0
10 20
30 40
50 60
70 Q1
FY24
Q2
FY24
Q3
FY24
Q4
FY24
Q1
FY25
Q2
FY25
Q3
FY25
Q4
FY25
Q1
FY26
Killed and Severe Injuries (KSI*) due to
Traffic Collisions
Fatal Injuries
Severe Injuries
KSI: -10% YoY
(based on Quarter 2 FY25 most recent)
0 2
4 6
8 10
12 14
16 18
Q1
FY24
Q2
FY24
Q3
FY24
Q4
FY24
Q1
FY25
Q2
FY25
Q3
FY25
Q4
FY25
Q1
FY26
Traffic Fatalities by Decedent Mode
Motor Vehicle Occupant
Motorcyclist
Pedestrian
Bicyclist
Fatalities: -29% YoY
* Severe injuries are reported with a delay
Problem 4. Traffic Safety.
Goal 4.1 Traffic Safety Projects: Build safer streets by completing 100% of planned traffic safety projects (capital safety improvement, quick build, and pedestrian safety and traffic calming) by June 2026.
Goal 4.2 Automated Traffic Enforcement: Improve safe driving behaviors through technology by operationalizing 4 red light running camera intersections and 33 automated speed enforcement cameras along key corridors by June 2026.
San José residents live in a community with responsive emergency services and safe streets and roads.
Long-Term
Goal
Increasing Community Safety Focus Area
19 Status
Green – On track
Yellow – At risk
Red – Off track
Not Started
Red Light Running /
Speed Enforcement /
Problem 4. Traffic Safety.
San José residents live in a community with responsive emergency services and safe streets and roads.
Long-Term
Goal
Increasing Community Safety Focus Area
20 Lessons Learned:
• Automated Traffic Enforcement. Early red-light camera operations show high violation volumes (especially at the South 3rd Street/Keyes Street intersection). Speed camera progress is delayed due to federal administration and the recent shutdown, but staff are proceeding and applying lessons from the red-light program to minimize future delays.
What’s Next?
Focus Areas and the
FY 2026-2027 Budget
Process
21 What’s Next?
Focus Areas and the FY 2026-2027 Budget Process
January
Embedding Focus Area discussion into the Budget Process to ensure co-creation of strategies aimed to meet our Long-Term Goals Mayor’s March Message.
Direction given through the Message will
inform exploration/scoping of future focus area
work, which may include problem areas or
specific change initiatives for FY 2026-2027.
Any contemplated changes for the following
fiscal year should be explored in this context.
City Manager’s Proposed Budget.
The Administration may propose change
initiatives for FY 2026-2027, stemming from
learnings derived from current year’s
execution.
February March
April May June
June Budget Message.
Through the adoption of the June Budget
Message, the City Council will formally adopt
the Focus Area workplans for FY 2026-2027.
Priority Setting.
Staff will embed Focus Areas into the 2026-
2027 Preliminary General Fund Forecast and
Budget Priorities Study Session to cultivate a
discussion that supports the City Council
articulating its priorities (given budget
constraints and required reductions) in
advance of the Mayor’s March Message.
Budget Study Session.
The Administration will embed Focus Area
learnings into a Budget Study Session; this
will include recommended changes to the
following year’s Focus Area work.
Manager’s Budget Addendum (MBA).
The Administration will publish an MBA that
summarizes all feedback/ideas contemplated
through the budget process and establishes a
recommended path for FY 2026-2027.
22 (d)2: City Council Focus Area Status
Report: Increasing Community Safety
Executing Work While Building the Infrastructure for
Long-Term Impact
Public Safety, Finance and Strategic Support Committee
December 4, 2025
City of San José
City Manager’s Office
Jennifer Schembri, Deputy City Manager, City Manager’s Office Robert Sapien, Fire Chief, San José Fire Department
Stephen Donohue, Captain, San José Police Department
Andrea Flores Shelton, Assistant Director, Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Department John Ristow, Director, Department of Transportation
23