League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	Santa Clara County, CA June 3, 2014 Election
	Candidates Answer Questions on the Issues Sheriff; County of Santa Clara

The questions were prepared by the Leagues of Women Voters of Santa Clara County and asked of all candidates for this office.     See below for questions on Experience, Office operation, Priorities Click on a name for candidate information.   See also more information about this contest. 1. What experience and training would you bring to this office? Answer from Kevin Jensen: Kevin Jensen has nearly three decades of service to the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office and has held numerous leadership positions within the agency: Stanford DPS Liaison Jail Administration Commander Court Security Division Commander Administrative Coroner Assistant Chief, Department of Correction Elmwood Detention Facility Commander Risk Program Manager, California's Urban Area Security Initiative (terrorism prevention, mitigation and response) Captain, Santa Clara County Sheriffs, 2004-2013 Served as Stanford Department of Public Safety Liaison, Jail Administration Commander, Court Security Division Commander and Administrative Coroner. Named Risk and Information Sharing Program Manager for the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) -- tasked with terrorism prevention, mitigation, response and recovery for the 12-county region. Selected in late 2012 to serve as the Risk Program Manager for all California UASIs. Also served as Assistant Chief of the Department of Correction and Commander of Elmwood Detention Facility, 2008-2010. Lieutenant, Santa Clara County Sheriffs, 2002-2004 During the next three years, he commanded Reserve Operations and Community Services, served as Patrol Watch Commander and was selected to serve as Assistant Division Commander for the Jails Administration Division. Sergeant, Santa Clara County Sheriffs, 1999-2002 Supervised jail operations, patrol functions, traffic management and enforcement and conducted sensitive investigations into allegations of employee misconduct during his two-year assignment in Internal Affairs. Deputy, Santa Clara County Sheriffs, 1985 Kevin Jensen began his law enforcement career as a deputy with SCCSO in 1985. After graduating from the SCCSO Academy in 1986 (receiving awards for Top Overall Recruit and Top Athlete in his class). Duties included; County's jail facilities, courts, unincorporated areas patrol and traffic enforcement. Jail Facilities Training Officer, Investigator of Criminal Offenses within the jails and a member of the Sheriff's Emergency Response Team (SERT), the SWAT team for the SCCSO. Current Service Since his retirement in 2013, Captain Jensen has taught classes to new recruits, as well as law enforcement management courses. He also served as the President of the California Chapter of the FBI National Academy Associates through 2013 and remains on the Board as Immediate Past President. Throughout his career, Captain Jensen pursued educational opportunities to maximize his skills in law enforcement: Sheriff's Leadership Development Course, 1999 BA, Management, St. Mary's College of California, 2003 MA, Leadership, St. Mary's College of California, 2004 Graduate, FBI's National Academy Session #222, 2005 Certified Teacher, Post Officer Standards and Training, Current 2. What changes do you think need to be made in the way this office operates? Answer from Kevin Jensen: Law enforcement is tarnished when we forget that we serve the public. Although I have witnessed the erosion of public trust at the hands of elected officials and law enforcement leaders whose own interests were placed above our sacred duty to serve and protect. I have not forgotten who we serve. I will never forget. In addition to rebuilding trust and relationships, and improving partnerships with our community and public safety, I will be placing an emphasis on education and relationships with our schools, our youth, and our seniors. We have let down those groups because when budgets were cut, the Sheriff cut the services. I will fight for the funds that keep deputies in positions of positive influence. If the funds are not obtained, we won't turn our backs again. We need to be Smart on Crime, which means that prevention, education, and proactive policing should be the tools we use to minimize the need to simply react and respond. It is my mission to build a robust and thriving Community Services Unit that allows our many skilled and caring residents to volunteer alongside deputies and reserves as we fill the need to reach and teach our youth about the dangers of drugs and alcohol, gangs, bullying, and other negative influences, and our seniors and other residents about fraud, cyber-crime, personal and residential safety and other issues. I will restore ethics and accountability to the Sheriff's Office, provide transparency and inclusion in decision-making, and implement innovative best practices through my relationships with state and national partners. I will also end the practice of special treatment of celebrities and campaign donors. The longstanding mutual respect I share with local Police Chiefs will finally allow for legitimate countywide crime solutions, youth education and community outreach. Change is long overdue, and it's time for less Politics & more Policing. I believe that we have to remember that we are part of the community, and that we owe the public transparency in all matters. There have to be stringent accounting policies in place, and audits should be conducted to ensure that no mistakes or improprieties occur. 3. Within the budget limitations, how would you prioritize the responsibilities of your office? Answer from Kevin Jensen: In the six months before taking office, I would work with the County Executive and my OBA friends (Office of Budget Analysis) to review all the County's existing short and long range goals and projections that involved our agency. If allowed, I would also review all Sheriff's Office plans and management reports, and meet with executive staff and fiscal director to assess the current situation. My priorities are improved service and public/officer safety, outreach and education to youth and the community, and improved IT and infrastructure so that staff can do their job to the best of their ability. I am also concerned with very large detective caseloads, the deteriorating state of our jail facilities, and some ongoing investigations. Build trust and allow for the respectful free flow of information that has suffered due to fear and intimidation that should never be allowed to take place. Deputies doing the job have the best view of what works and what doesn't. I will give them a better understanding of the budget, how it works, and what options we have for public and private partnerships, audits, contracts and services, and also allow them to search out best practices from other agencies far and wide, as well as the business communities that often have a better track record than public sector organizations. I believe that the deputies are responsive; however, they could better serve South County with improved management that included taking their input and the input of the community in order to more effectively meet the needs and desires of South County residents and businesses. By only providing what is budgeted, we turn our backs and claim there is nothing we can do, but in reality, with effort and creativity we can provide additional resources in cooperation with those we serve. By utilizing grant funding, enlarging our Reserve and volunteer program, cross training our patrol deputies and supervisors, and listening to the public, we can have a Rural Services Unit that will meet and exceed our expectations. I would like to institute State of the Sheriff's Office meetings with business and community groups, and have regular meetings with representatives to better understand and serve the needs of each. I am also researching Next Door and other tools that we can use to keep the community aware of crime statistics and events in their neighborhoods in a very timely manner. Other programs and services will arise out of better communication and input at community meetings. Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' statements are presented as submitted. Please answer each question in no more than 400 words. Direct references to opponents are not permitted. The order of the candidates is random and changes daily. Candidates who did not respond are not listed on this page.