The Sheriff's Office offers the following programs to the communities it serves. Some of the programs such as DARE are on-going programs. Other programs are upon request.
 

Neighborhood Watch

The Neighborhood Watch program has proved to be an effective way of bringing communities together to either reduce or prevent crime in our neighborhoods. The program gets you to know your neighbor and to help make you aware of what is normal, not normal, who belongs in your neighborhood and what to do when suspicious activity is seen.

In conjunction with this program a presentation is also given on ways to make your home more secure.

To form a Neighborhood Watch, a resident in the neighborhood agrees to host a meeting. On the date chosen for the meeting, a Sheriff's Deputy from the Community Services Unit will come to the meeting and put on the program. During this meeting the deputy assigned to the area will stop by to see if there are any questions the group has for him or her.

To schedule a meeting you can either contact our Community Services Unit at 408-299-3238 or contact the deputy in your area for assistance.
 

DARE

The DARE program is currently in place at Lakeside School. The program is designed to educate children about the effects of drugs. This program is an on-going process already in place at Lakeside School.

BURGLARY PREVENTION

The Sheriff's Office Community Service Unit will come to group meetings to talk about Burglary Prevention. The presentation will show people ways to help prevent you from becoming a victim of a burglary. The program is not done on an individual basis but is set up to talk to groups of people. The presentation involves how to mark your property for identification, types of locks to make your home more secure, alarm systems and general things to be aware of around you.

Since this program is also part of the Neighborhood Watch program why not go ahead and form a Neighborhood Watch at the same time. To schedule a presentation contact the Community Services Unit at 408-299-3238 for further details.
 

FINGERPRINTING

The Sheriff's Office also offers Child Fingerprinting. The fingerprinting of our children is one means of providing a positive identification. The fingerprints are done by our deputies in the presence of the parent and the cards given to the parent. We maintain no record of the fingerprint. There is no cost for this service . Since the fingerprinting of children takes more time and setup than standard fingerprinting, fingerprinting of children is done at community functions or for groups upon request.

To request this service contact the Sheriff's Office Community Services Unit at 408-299-3238
 

EXPLORER POST

The Office of the Sheriff also hosts an Explorer Post. This post is for youth interested in different aspects of law enforcement. The posts participates in group training where the Explorers learn, just to name a few things, Drug Recognition, First Aid, CPR, Search and Rescue and Personal Safety. The explorers also help at the Santa Clara County Fair in the operation of our substation and providing information and assistance to people at the fair. During their participation they learn to work together and see some of the workings of the Sheriff's Office as well as providing a service to their community. For information on this program contact the Sheriff's Reserve Office at 408-299-3238.
 

Ride Along Program

The Sheriff's Office Ride Along Program is available to residents over 16 years of age. As a participant in this program you will ride a shift with a deputy in a Sheriff's Office patrol unit. This program lets participants see firsthand how the Sheriff's Office operates and some of the problems the deputies encounter. For participation in this program contact the Community Services Unit at 408-299-3238.
 

PROPERTY IDENTIFICATION

The ability to identify your property in the event of disaster or theft is very important. The Sheriff's Office has both video equipment and marking tools to which can be checked out to video tape your personal property and to inscribe your drivers license number on the item. For details on this program, contact the Sheriff's Office West Valley Division at 408-867-9715.