A San Jose police academy recruit died by suicide using a city-issued handgun in late September — secretly rattling the department and highlighting the risk of arming cadets. The unusual tragedy has also prompted questions about whether higher-ups missed any warning signs.
It’s unclear why the recruit decided to take their own life. But multiple sources in the San Jose Police Department told this news organization the recruit was dealing with difficult life circumstances and in a romantic relationship with a fellow recruit. San José Spotlight is not naming the recruit who died out of respect for the family’s privacy.
A department spokesperson declined to offer details about the incident, which happened Sept. 20, beyond confirming a recruit’s death in late September. The spokesperson said the department conducted a thorough investigation that found no evidence of wrongdoing or foul play.
“To respect the grieving family’s privacy, we did not and are not providing any further details. We lost a valued member of our police family and continue to mourn the loss,” the spokesperson told San José Spotlight.
It’s standard practice across Silicon Valley for police academy recruits to take their firearms home. But they aren’t supposed to take their guns home loaded. The recruit’s death in September shows that doesn’t entirely cut risk.
Other police departments including Milpitas and Palo Alto and the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office told San José Spotlight their policies mirror San Jose’s.
“They aren’t official peace officers yet. Equipment can come home with them, but ammunition we issue straight to the academy,” Milpitas Police Lt. Tyler Jamison told San José Spotlight. “We don’t let them take their firearms loaded with department ammunition. That’s always been our practice.”
That doesn’t mean recruits can’t obtain bullets elsewhere.
“Cadets retain the legal right to purchase firearms and ammunition like any other adult,” Brooks Jarosz, spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, told San José Spotlight, adding that safe and appropriate firearm handling is a critical aspect of the sheriff’s academy training. “We recognize the inherent challenges of this transition and take deliberate steps to prepare future deputies for this responsibility.”
The issuance of a gun is a significant event. But determining whether it contributed to the recruit’s death can be a difficult needle to thread, according to Michael Gennaco, a nationally-recognized policing expert whose firm OIR Group conducts oversight of the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office.
“I suspect a number of recruits that have gone through the academy to become police officers already have guns,” he told San José Spotlight. “I’m not sure the issuance of the gun by the academy was the cause of what happened.”
Gennaco said he’s more interested in whether there were indications of emotional instability or distress the academy may have caused on the recruit. While Gennaco has seen recruit deaths during intense training exercises — such as a 2020 incident where a sheriff’s cadet suffered heart failure — suicide is not something he’s seen in police academies over his 20-plus years monitoring law enforcement.
“The academy experience can be stressful, sometimes intentionally so,” Gennaco said.
When such incidents occur, Gennaco suggests inquiring with academy instructors to see whether or not there were indications the recruit had a difficult time or showed any signs of mental health issues, and extending that inquiry to fellow recruits who might have noticed things instructors missed.
“It could well have been this totally discreet set of circumstances going on in the recruit’s personal life that led to the decision. In fact, that’s probably the most likely,” Gennaco said. “But the stress of the academy and whether that played a role, I think is something that is incumbent upon any law enforcement agency to try and suss out. Unless you do those kinds of inquiries, you’re not going to be able to learn from this tragic experience.”
The San Jose Police Department declined to share the details of its administrative investigation.
“When administrative investigations of current or former employees occur, they are considered personnel matters and therefore not subject to disclosure,” the department spokesperson said.
Police recruits are considered city employees while attending the 26-week paid academy program. Upon graduation, recruits enter field training for additional experience as officers on the street, according to an online posting for San Jose’s October 2025 police academy, which opened for applications last month. The online posting said candidates will be subject to a five-to-eight question panel interview. They will also fill out a personal history packet and be subject to background investigators. Candidates also have to pass medical and psychological exams.
The department maintains its vetting process is thorough and touted a full-time wellness and employee support team, available 24/7 to employees.
“SJPD’s background process utilizes best practices and, in most cases, exceeds industry standards,” the department spokesperson told San José Spotlight.
If you or someone you know are struggling with mental health issues — help is available and recovery is possible. If you are in crisis, please call, text or chat with the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988, or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.
Contact Brandon Pho at [email protected] or @brandonphooo on X, formerly known as Twitter.
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