A legal shield protecting police officers from excessive force lawsuits has taken a major blow in San Jose. The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday denied qualified immunity for Michael Panighetti, a San Jose Police Department officer who shot a Black activist, Derrick Sanderlin, in the groin with a foam round while he held...
Advocates want a say in choosing San Jose police chief
San Jose leaders could select a new police chief by September. But before they do, some advocates are urging them to speak with families who lost loved ones to police shootings. The city has mounted a monthslong public outreach effort to replace former Chief Anthony Mata. The City Manager’s Office met with a consortium of grassroots social...
San Jose police cruise with lowriders on Cinco de Mayo
San Jose police will take a different approach with Cinco de Mayo festivities to mend the relationship between law enforcement and residents after last year’s actions, which some deemed racist. The community has organized a 300-vehicle lowrider parade on Sunday to pay homage to the Latino roots and history of East San Jose, a hub for lowriding...
NAACP rebukes San Jose police over viral mayor security altercation
The region’s NAACP chapter is rebuking San Jose police for the viral incident earlier this week in which a pedestrian attacked Mayor Matt Mahan’s security detail after a verbal dispute turned physical. The Rev. Jethroe Moore, president of NAACP San Jose/Silicon Valley, on Wednesday sent a critical email to acting Police Chief Paul Joseph about the incident,...
UPDATE: San Jose names new independent police auditor
San Jose has appointed a new independent police watchdog after months of scandal and instability plagued the office responsible for investigating officer malfeasance. Eddie Aubrey, who heads the office of professional accountability for the Richmond Police Department, is taking his expertise down south as San Jose’s independent police auditor (IPA). The San Jose City Council...
San Jose pushes to expand police alternative for mental health crises
Weeks before the San Jose City Council sat down to discuss this year’s budget, advocates and residents sounded the alarm about gaps in mental health services and asked officials to expand access to a non-police response program. Councilmembers on Tuesday unanimously voted to explore adding another mobile field team, known as TRUST, in the budget...
San Jose police’s failure to stop cannabis robbery fuels fight over fees
San Jose cannabis entrepreneurs say police don’t care about protecting their property, and a shocking video appears to validate their frustrations. Security camera footage obtained by San José Spotlight shows three getaway cars easily maneuvering around two San Jose Police Department vehicles and escaping unscathed after suspects robbed Exotix, a South San Jose weed shop...
San Jose taxpayers foot the bill for police collisions
Every year, San Jose receives hundreds of claims from residents because they tripped on a sidewalk or a sewage backup destroyed their property — but the most commonly settled claims are car accidents caused by police and other city employees. An analysis by San José Spotlight found that of the 1,122 claims filed by residents over...
San Jose Police Chief Mata to retire
San Jose’s top cop is set to retire in a few months — and is moving on to lead investigations for the county. Police Chief Anthony Mata will retire in March as he steps into the role of investigations bureau chief for the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office the following month. Mata has served...
San Jose residents want police to clamp down on noisy neighbors
Residents in the West San Jose Starbird neighborhood are wondering why parties with loud music and strobe lights aren’t shut down. The noise and at times lack of response by the San Jose Police Department may have led some residents to believe the city doesn’t have a noise ordinance, but that is not the case....