Sheriff Administration
The Office of the Sheriff for the County of Santa Clara has existed since 1850. The Sheriff holds an elected office, which is voted on by the citizens of the County every four years. The current Sheriff is Robert Jonsen.
The authority and mandates for the Sheriff to provide law enforcement services can be found in several state and local codes. For instance, the Government Code Sections 26600 - 26602 require the Sheriff to preserve the peace, to make arrests, to prevent unlawful disturbances which come to her attention and to investigate public offenses which have been committed. Also, the Santa Clara County Charter (Section 605) requires the Sheriff to provide the County efficient and effective police protection and to perform all the duties required of her by law.
The Sheriff oversees the entire agency. What once was a one-man office has, since 1850, grown into a multi-million dollar operation. To oversee this multi-million dollar agency, the Sheriff has a top management team consisting of an Undersheriff, three Assistant Sheriffs, and an Administrative Services Director.
The Undersheriff reports directly to the Sheriff, is responsible for the operational oversight of the entire Sheriff’s Office, and represents the Sheriff in her absence when needed.
Each Assistant Sheriff oversees a specific Operational Bureau. One Assistant Sheriff manages the Field Enforcement Bureau, another Assistant Sheriff manages the Custody Bureau, and the final Assistant Sheriff manages the Court Services Bureau as well as the Support Services Bureau.
The Administrative Services Director manages Fiscal, Information Systems, and the administrative and support staff for all the bureaus. Together they work with a team approach to effectively manage this large organization.
The Office of the Sheriff Administrative Division is open Monday through Friday (except County holidays) from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. We can be reached by calling (408) 808-4900. Our FAX number is (408) 283-0562. Or you can email us at [email protected].
Sheriff's Office Headquarters is located at 55 West Younger Avenue., San Jose, CA 95110