Santa Clara County Sheriff's Captain to Run Against Incumbent Sheriff

Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office Capt. Kevin Jensen said Tuesday that it was "humbling" that two unions want him to run against Sheriff Laurie Smith and that he would have "a lot to give" to the position.

"I've been asked many times to run for sheriff over the last six years," Jensen said.

"I think it's time for a change," said Jensen, a 28-year veteran with the sheriff's office. "I think that change can be a good thing."

On Monday, members of the Deputy Sheriffs' Association of Santa Clara County and the Santa Clara County Correctional Peace Officers' Association both voted overwhelmingly to endorse Jensen when Smith runs for reelection in June 2014.

"It is humbling, something I take seriously," Jensen said.

Smith, first elected sheriff in 1998, said Monday that she contacted both unions before the endorsement votes but they did not include her in the balloting last week.

The unions said they would back Jensen because Smith lacked vision and the sheriff's office had experienced inadequate staffing levels and training and its technology was outdated.

Smith responded that her record was solid and that the sheriff's office "is one of the preeminent law enforcement agencies in the nation. I think the public recognizes that."

Jensen said he recalled being hired by the sheriff's office as a deputy when "I was 22 years old with a couple of kids and a high school diploma."

From the intervening years, including a stint as assistant chief of corrections for the county's jail system, "I have a lot to give, I've had a lot of assignments."

He said he wants the office to be more open and to reach out to state law enforcement and local police chiefs to gain information and find new opportunities to collaborate.

"There are so many people with ideas," he said. "I'm not afraid to ask questions about how they do that."

The office currently suffers from having to use "some vintage technology" and money remains an issue when considering improvements such as more advanced equipment for deputies in the field, Jensen said.

Jensen said he would review ways to interest Silicon Valley's technology firms to enter into "public-private partnerships" with the office to upgrade its equipment.

Above all, Jensen said he wanted to bring a new style of leadership to the office that is "less autocratic."

"People need to be heard," Jensen said. "Some people can lead by
(letting) other people do their job."

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