Laurie Smith, Sheriff
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. The Sheriff is elected to a four year term
and he or she may serve additional terms if re-elected by the citizens.
The current Sheriff is Laurie Smith, who was elected to office in
January of 1999. Sheriff Smith is the twenty-eighth Sheriff of Santa
Clara County.
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 department. What once was a one-man
office has, since 1850, grown into a multi-million dollar operation.
Currently, the Sheriff manages a budget of approximately $307.8 million.
The department has approximately 1,800 employees.
To oversee this multi-million dollar agency, the Sheriff has a top
management team consisting of an Undersheriff, two 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. One Assistant Sheriff manages the Field
Enforcement Bureau, and the other manages the Technical Services Bureau
and the Court Services Bureau. The Administrative Services Director
manages fiscal, IT, and the administrative and support staff for all the
bureaus. Together they work with a team approach to manage this very
large office.
The Office of the Sheriff Administrative Division consists of the following personnel:
Sheriff |
1 |
Undersheriff |
1 |
Assistant Sheriffs |
2 |
Administrative Services Director |
1 |
Captain |
1 |
Lieutenant |
1 |
Public Information Officer |
1 |
Confidential Secretary |
1 |
Executive Assistants |
3 |
Sr. Management Analyst |
1 |
Office Specialist II |
1 |
The Sheriff and her executive staff have their offices at the
Sheriff's Headquarters Building. Sheriff's Headquarters is located at 55
West Younger Avenue in the City of San Jose.
Sheriff's Headquarters is open Monday through Friday (except
holidays) from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The mailing address is 55 West
Younger Ave., San Jose, CA 95110. The Sheriff's FAX number is (408)
283-0562 and a receptionist can be reached at (408) 808-4900.