It’s officially Day One for San Jose’s new permanent top cop, and it’s safe to say Chief Paul Joseph will hit the ground running.
Joseph has been doing the top job for about seven months now on an interim basis, and he’s been with the San Jose Police Department for 30 years.
Joseph went from assistant chief to interim chief when former Chief Anthony Mata retired.
In his 30 years with the SJPD, Joseph has been a captain over the western patrol division and a lieutenant with the homicide, robbery and patrol divisions. Now, he leads a department of nearly 1,200 sworn officers and nearly 600 other employees.
During his tenure as interim chief, he has taken on the cause of transparency after several officers were accused of misconduct.
"When we make mistakes, when we don’t meet the expectations of the community, I will be open and honest about that as well," Joseph said. "If someone isn’t doing the job that they’re supposed to, if they’re not meeting the standards, they’re not going to be here."
The chief says he will push on three fronts: maximizing technology; freeing up officers by shifting some responsibilities to other staff; and using non-police response when warranted, such as in cases of people suffering a mental health crisis.
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Jospeh has a law degree from UC Law San Francisco and an undergraduate degree in political science from Cal State Northridge.
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