Under State and Federal Freedom of Information Laws, law enforcement agencies are required to keep a record of daily activities that can be inspected by the public. Local newspapers typically review these records, referred to as Police Blotters.

In 2020, the City of Santa Clara Communications Center fielded 151,615 phone calls and 167 texts. Of these, 68,865 resulted in police calls for service and self-initiated activity, and 9,669 in fire calls for service. SCPD’s Police Blotter highlights a partial list of incidents in Santa Clara and is distributed to the press on a weekly basis, as staff resources are available. The Blotter provides the date, time, approximate location, a narrative summary of the incident, case number and the most serious arrest charge.

What types of incidents are generally included in the Police Blotter?

• Routine and unusual calls for service;
• Incidents that may raise awareness and/or educate the public;
• Similar calls for service taking place with frequency, targeting a specific population and/or occurring in a particular area; and,
• When SCPD is seeking the public’s assistance to solve a crime.

Why aren’t certain calls for service included in the Police Blotter?

The U.S. Department of Justice cites several reasons why some information may be excluded from a Police Blotter, including:

• Deprives a person to their right of a fair trial;
• Hampers an ongoing investigation;
• Hinders prosecution;
• Places an officer or witness in danger; and,
• Constitutes an invasion of privacy.

In general, it is SCPD’s practice not to include sensitive items such as juvenile arrests, incidents of domestic violence, suicide, calls connected with a restraining order or custody of a juvenile and/or dead bodies.

The Arrest Log provides a timely, chronological summary of all of the arrests made by the Santa Clara Police Department. It includes the name of the suspect(s), date of birth, city in which they reside, arrest date, time, location, case number as well as all of the charge(s) associated with the arrest. This information, located on the Santa Clara Police Department’s home page (www.scpd.org) is updated daily and serves as the most comprehensive list of arrests made.

SCPD also offers online crime alerting and mapping services that provide easy to read incident crime maps and automated alerts. Neighborhood crime data is available in near real-time. Crime information can be found at LexisNexis.

SCPD Police Blotter Status

Based on the mandatory orders from Santa Clara County Public Health, the City of Santa Clara has implemented many service level changes, limited to essential services. Since the preparation and distribution of a Police Blotter is not an essential service, it will be produced as staffing resources are available.

Community Resources

During these challenging times, if you find yourself in a troubling situation, the Santa Clara Police Department encourages you to utilize the following community resources:

• Disaster Distress Helpline, 800-985-5990
• Domestic Violence Crisis Line, 800-799-7233
• Emergency, 9-1-1
• National Alliance on Mental Illness, 800-950-6264 or text 741741
• National Suicide Prevention Hotline, 800-273-8255
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 800-662-4357
• Veteran’s Crisis Line, 800-273-8255

For accurate Coronavirus information:

Coronavirus Local News and Resources – www.SantaClaraCA.gov/CoronavirusUpdates

FEMA Coronavirus Myths and Facts - https://www.fema.gov/coronavirus-rumor-control

FEMA Coronavirus News, Fact Sheets, FAQ and Ways to Help - https://www.fema.gov/coronavirus

Previous Issues of SCPD's Police Blotter

Week of July 18, 2021 - present - not prepared or distributed
Week of July 11, 2021
Week of July 4, 2021 - not prepared or distributed
Week of June 27, 2021 - not prepared or distributed
Week of June 20, 2021 - not prepared or distributed
Week of June 13, 2021
Week of June 6, 2021 - not prepared or distributed
Week of May 30, 2021 - not prepared or distributed
Week of May 23, 2021 - not prepared or distributed
Week of May 16, 2021
Week of May 9, 2021 - not prepared or distributed
Week of May 2, 2021
Week of April 25, 2021
Week of April 18, 2021
Week of April 11, 2021
Week of April 4, 2021
Week of March 28, 2021
Week of March 21, 2021
Week of March 14, 2021
Week of March 7, 2021
Week of February 28, 2021
Week of February 21, 2021
Week of February 14, 2021
Week of February 7, 2021
Week of January 31, 2021
Week of January 24, 2021
Week of January 17, 2021
Week of January 10, 2021
Week of January 3, 2021
Holiday Edition - December 19, 2020 through January 2, 2021
Week of December 13, 2020
Week of December 6 2020
Week of November 29, 2020
Weeks of November 15 and 23, 2020
Week of November 8, 2020
Week of November 1, 2020
Week of October 25, 2020
Week of October 18, 2020
Week of October 11, 2020
Week of October 4, 2020