Santa Clara County Sheriff’s deputies recognized for efforts in downtown San Jose
By Sal Pizarro
spizarro@mercurynews.com
Henry Cord, left, vice president of operations for the San Jose Downtown Association, congratulates Deputy Sheriff Brent Bugarin, center, and Deputy Sheriff Michael Ford, for their work on a pilot program policing downtown transit stations on Friday, March 8, 2013, at Theater on San Pedro Square in downtown San Jose.
A VTA pilot program to aggressively police transit stations in downtown San Jose has had a real impact. And the two Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Deputies working the beat — Michael Ford and Brent Bugarin — were recognized for their efforts Friday by the Downtown Association.
The program — spurred into creation by San Jose City Councilman Sam Liccardo — has resulted in 105 arrests, including 57 felony arrests, since it got going in December. The deputies also located a 13-year-old runaway.
There’s only funding for the program through June, but it could be extended an additional two years if it’s included in this year’s VTA budget.
“We want to thank everyone for accepting us to the downtown with open arms,” Ford said, though I doubt downtown’s criminal element has been as happy to see them.
Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith and other law enforcement officials attended the morning meeting to applaud the crime-stopping pair, who received an appropriate tongue-in-cheek token of appreciation from the Downtown Association: A box of treats from Psycho Donuts, which I’m sure they shared with their colleagues.