When I moved to San Jose in 1973 the San Jose police were not very popular. Few of them were Latino, although Latinos made up a large percentage of the population. They were known for using excessive force, and they were often seen as an occupying force.
In 1975 Joseph McNamara was appointed the Chief of Police. At that time San Jose was the 17th largest city in the nation; it is now the 10th largest. In his 15-year tenure, the city grew by 40%, while major crimes (homicide, rape, robbery, assault, and burglary) dropped by 9%. In 1990 San Jose had the lowest crime rate of any city over 400,000.
McNamara opposed the militarization of police, criticized the L.A. police for the Rodney King beating, and thought the “War on Drugs” created a military mindset. In an action I especially liked, he also took on the N.R.A.
McNamara believed in “community policing,” in which police developed relationships with store owners, community leaders, and residents. Many of his ideas, considered rather radical at the time, are now accepted as common sense by police departments. He was one of the good guys.
If you want to read about him or see what he looked like, go to <http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/joseph-mcnamara-police-chief-who-challenged-gun-lobby-others-dies-at-79/2014/09/26/219bda08-44f9-11e4-b47c-f5889e061e5f_story.html?wprss=rss_local>.
P.S.: One of these days I will post about the “hooker patrol,” a community action Linda and I were involved in to rid downtown San Jose of prostitutes. McNamara’s police force was a major help in that. I really liked that man.
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