Guest Column by Pedro Espinoza: Police Chief discusses law enforcement in Gilroy in light of current events

The negative perceptions of law enforcement have led to increased stress levels for police officers.

By Pedro Espinoza

Pedro Espinoza

I am proud to be part of such a resilient and culturally diverse community. Gilroy is simply a special place. Together we have endured some difficult times. These past two years have been a challenge, to say the least.

As we began to heal from the single most traumatic incident that Gilroy had ever faced, the COVID-19 pandemic struck bringing uncertainty, fear, stress, and fiscal instability. Amidst our navigation, the horrible death of George Floyd eroded public trust and brought the question of police practices back to the forefront. This has reignited sentiments of wrongdoing and has been the catalyst for several reform bills across our nation. Some will be a challenge to local governments, but others we can embrace together to affect meaningful change.

I am a proponent of employing any change(s) that will enhance our efforts to protect the safety of our community by improving our professionalism and helping to build trust with our community, while maintaining the resiliency of our officers. Our goal is to be transparent about our practices. Trust is developed with actions, confidence, dialogue, and common ground. Representing those whom we police facilitates this.

I am proud of the fact that approximately 45 percent of personnel have the ability to communicate in Spanish. Our engagement efforts have recently included community academies and town hall meetings facilitated in Spanish. We were early adopters of the body-worn cameras and are rapidly approaching the third-generation deployment. We will continue to embrace technology and look for opportunities to utilize it as a force multiplier and service delivery aid.

The application of force in police practices is of critical concern. It is important to share with you that our officers are involved in thousands of encounters on a yearly basis. Often those situations are tense, rapidly evolving, and in some cases involve someone under the influence of a mind-altering substance(s) and/or suffering a mental health crisis. Our goal is always for a peaceful resolution, and the majority of these encounters resolve as such.

We have recently implemented a process to more critically analyze each use of force case to determine potential training deficiencies and best practice policy-driven responses. We are also re-evaluating our approach to cases involving mental health crises and coordinating responses accordingly.

We have partnered with the Santa Clara County Behavioral Health’s Mobile Crisis Response Team and use their service when available. Our goal is to share our use of force encounter data with our community at the end of the year.

We have also implemented duty to intercede and de-escalation policies.  We have removed the carotid restraint hold from our force options and have made de-escalation and crisis intervention training a priority.

The negative perceptions of law enforcement have led to increased stress levels for police officers. Police departments across the nation are experiencing recruitment and retention challenges. Many are working with dwindling numbers and scrambling to implement plans of succession. Often we ask our folks to take on more responsibility leading to exhaustion and burnout. The wellness of our officers is paramount in order to ensure a healthy and resilient workforce. This in turn leads to exemplary service to the community. This, too, is a priority for our department.

The women and men who serve our community have a deep sense of care; your support means the world. It’s incumbent upon us who continue to serve with respect, integrity, and compassion to return the perception of nobility to the profession. There is no room for those that work outside of the confines of our oath, principles, and constitution.

Gilroy, you are us, and we are you. We have the common goal and responsibility of making our community better. There is nothing we can’t accomplish in unity.

Pedro Espinoza is the chief of police for Gilroy. He wrote this column for Gilroy Life.