San Jose Police Department, CA
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Deputy Chief Brian Spears |
Deputy Chief Brian K. Spears joined the San José Police Department in 1997 and has dedicated nearly three decades to public safety and service to the City of San José.
Throughout his career, Deputy Chief Spears has served in a wide range of operational and investigative assignments, including Patrol, Undercover Narcotics, the Burglary Unit, Financial Crimes Unit, Sexual Assaults Unit, Assaults Unit, and Homicide Unit.
As a Sergeant, he supervised field and investigative personnel and was selected to lead the Silicon Valley Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force / Child Exploitation Detail. He also served as a dual-badged member of the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force.
As a Lieutenant, Deputy Chief Spears served as a Watch Commander, Criminal Intelligence Commander, and in Special Investigations leadership assignments.
As a Captain, he served as Western Division Patrol Captain and Support Services Captain, overseeing patrol operations, field training, community service officers, school safety, transit-related public safety, reserve and cadet programs, and other key department functions.
In 2025, Deputy Chief Spears was promoted to Deputy Chief of Police and assigned to the Bureau of Investigations, where he oversaw several critical investigative functions.
Deputy Chief Spears currently oversees the Bureau of Field Operations, where he provides executive leadership for patrol operations, emergency response, crime reduction strategies, officer deployment, and frontline police services throughout the City of San José.
Deputy Chief Spears holds a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and a master’s degree in Law Enforcement and Public Safety Leadership. His executive training includes the FBI National Academy, Senior Management Institute for Police, FBI-LEEDA Trilogy, POST Executive Development Course, and Tools for Tolerance® for Command Staff.
Deputy Chief Spears remains committed to professional service, accountability, community trust, officer wellness, and the safety of the City of San José.
Patrol Division
The San Jose Police Department refers to its Patrol Division as "The Bureau of Field Operations" (BFO). BFO is the primary provider of police services for the residents of San Jose. BFO deploys over 980 officers to 178 square miles of the City on a 24-hour basis. BFO personnel are prepared to respond to both emergency and non-emergency calls for service in each of the City's sixteen patrol districts, which are further broken down into police "beats." The sixteen patrol districts comprise four divisions, each containing four districts. Each division is commanded by a Police Captain.
BFO provides continuous availability of field units to respond to calls for service, provides visible patrol throughout the City, detects and apprehends persons actively involved in criminal activity, recovers and returns lost and stolen property, provides for the safe movement of vehicular and pedestrian traffic, performs the initial investigation of criminal offenses, and attempts to reduce both immediate and potentially hazardous situations to the community.
Police Calls for Service
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Divisions and Districts Map
The City is comprised of four divisions: (FOOTHILL, CENTRAL, WESTERN, AND SOUTHERN) Each division contains several police districts with geographical boundaries. The mission and goals of the Bureau of Field Operations are the same regardless of the division.