San Jose has named its next permanent police chief, and it didn't have to go far to find him: Acting Chief Paul Joseph will become the city's top cop, the city announced Tuesday.
Joseph took over as head of the San Jose Police Department in March on an interim basis after former Chief Anthony Mata retired and moved to a position with the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office.
“I’m incredibly excited to be offered this job, to have accepted this job, to move forward with this department," Joseph said. "I love this city. I love this community."
Joseph said the department remains understaffed, yet homicides remain relatively low year after year. Other violent crime is also down.
"I’m eager to build on the work that we’ve done the last three and a half years to get the department to where it is today," Joseph said. "We’ve done some great work, and there’s much more to be done."
Joseph has been with the department since 1994. He has worked as a patrol officer, on the Narcotics Enforcement Team and with the MERGE Unit, which is San Jose's version of SWAT.
One of his focuses as assistant chief was transparency after a slew of officer misconduct allegations.
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"When we make mistakes, when we don’t meet the expectations of the community, I will be open and honest about that as well," he said. "If someone isn’t doing the job in the way that they’re supposed to, if somebody shouldn't be here in the first place, they’re not going to be here."
Before his tenure in San Jose, Joseph worked as an officer with the San Mateo Police Department. He has a law degree from UC Law San Francisco (formerly UC Hastings College of the Law). He grew up in Los Angeles.
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San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan endorsed Joseph as the pick to lead the department.
"Chief Joseph has done a tremendous job of supporting the rank and file, particularly during some difficult times with injured officers, with a CSO who tragically died due to a drunk driving accident," Mahan said.
Joseph will officially start as the permanent chief next Monday.
"My pledge is that the San Jose Police Department will do everything possible to make this community safe, that San Jose police officers will treat people with dignity and respect, that we will meet their expectations, and that we will adapt," he said. "We will constantly work and grow and be better in every way."
