Joseph McNamara, the police chief chief who created San Jose's reputation for having one of the most progressive police departments in the country, has died.

To get a clearer idea of police behavior “in an effort to combat police brutality,” the National Bar Association has filed open records requests in 25 cities, including San Jose.

Given the overwhelming focus on crime statistics and dearth of sworn officers, a San Jose councilman wants the city to take a deeper look at the state of the San Jose Police Department.

After another small academy class, the City Council has proposed a staffing retention plan to prevent more officers from leaving a critically understaffed police force.

A rowdy dive bar in downtown San Jose may lose its license unless it cleans up its act.

Civil rights groups castigated San Jose city leaders for approving a drone purchase without public debate over privacy concerns. They're now asking the city to reform procedures for acquiring surveillance technology to make the process more transparent.

Fearing backlash from the public, San Jose police have opted to get rid of a heavily armored 15-ton truck, a military hand-me-down the city received from the Pentagon earlier this year.

Back in 1999, the San Jose Police Department led the charge in collecting racial data about the people it stops and arrests. But it's been five years since the the agency has analyzed any of that information.

San Jose Inside editor Josh Koehn sat down for a interview last week with San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed. In the first part of their conversation, the two discuss the city's controversial pension reforms, the depleted police ranks, the current mayor's race, San Jose's lawsuit with Major League Baseball and Reed's insistence that he's not a closet Republican.

It's a common practice to use old, gutted patrol cars as mechanical scarecrows, according to San Jose Police Department spokesman Officer Albert Morales. But police are pretty miffed that they weren't notified about a plan to park a defunct cruiser near the San Jose Repertory Theater for about a week.

A new ballot initiative seeks to address the unduly harsh punishments tens of thousands of Californians face for nonviolent offenses. The proposal, sponsored by former San Jose Police Chief Bill Lansdowne, would reduce penalties for certain low-level drug and petty theft crimes.

Though polling appeared to show San Jose voters are willing to pay more to restore public services, the City Council on Tuesday voted against placing a tax hike on the November ballot.

In the face of mounting criticism about its acquisition of a drone, the San Jose Police Department admitted that the process was not conducted in a transparent fashion and the drone will not be deployed before addressing community concerns.

National Night Out, the yearly crime-prevention event observed with neighborhood block parties, takes on greater meaning in San Jose, where an understaffed police force continues to grapple with rising crime.

New details emerged this week regarding the San Jose Police Department's purchase of a drone, which has been described as a tool to assist the bomb squad. Privacy advocates aren't so sure.

San Jose Inside has obtained an internal bulletin San Jose police chief Larry Esquivel sent out July 14, explaining that the status quo on smart phone searches has to change. But that could be the tip of the iceberg regarding 4th Amendment issues in Santa Clara County.