Saratoga will keep the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office as its police force for the next five years, a choice the City Council made on Oct. 7, the Mercury News reported.
The city had looked at handing policing to the Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department instead, because the sheriff's office was raising its price and Saratoga's budget faces a structural deficit. City leaders compared the two on the level of service they would provide, how predictable costs would be over time and what the city could afford, and they collected residents' views at public meetings and town halls and through an online survey.
In a city news release, Mayor Chuck Page said residents made it clear that public safety and quick emergency response rank among their top concerns. "While continuing with the sheriff's office currently comes at a higher cost, the City Council determined that maintaining this longstanding partnership provides the level of service and continuity our community values," Page said.
Deputies will keep handling patrols and emergency calls in Saratoga for the length of the current contract, which was signed Aug. 19.