MEET KEVIN JENSEN
Santa Clara County gave a young husband and father a chance to serve; I’ll forever repay the gift. From childhood poverty, to Top Sheriff’s Recruit, to Assistant Chief, Santa Clara Department of Correction, my unique and vast experience from numerous life challenges and Sheriff’s Office Management assignments is considered unparalleled: Patrol, Investigations, Internal Affairs. Commander: Court Security, Community Services, Coroner, Terrorism Prevention. (MA Leadership, BA Management, FBI National Academy President, Mayor’s Gang Task Force, Ethics Instructor.)
I’ve fought publicly for positive change at the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office for 12 years. My longstanding relationships with Police Chiefs, non-profits, and community leaders enable crime reduction, youth/community outreach, solutions for homeless and mentally ill, and removing the encampments which create health risks for those in and around them. I will restore ethics, implement best practices of CA and national partners, provide transparency, inclusive decision-making, and stop the crime trend by balancing rehabilitation/treatment/compassion with accountability/consequences.
Living my values, (integrity, fairness, respect for all), earned me the overwhelming trust and endorsements of 97% of Santa Clara County Deputy Sheriff’s Association, South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council, Santa Clara County Correctional Peace Officers Association, County-wide Police Association, PORAC (900 CA Public Safety Associations), Community Leaders: business, education, civil rights, Blanca Alvarado, Senator Cortese, Supervisor Wasserman.
Grateful for your vote to restore public safety and trust.
Political Philosophy
I believe in the non-partisan office of Sheriff; the best solutions will come from bi-partisan efforts and a collaborative style of leadership which I have modeled throughout my career. Because I am a “No Party” preference candidate, I may lose the opportunity to benefit from the structures of established political parties. However, I believe the Sherriff's Office gains much more by bringing unity through neutral political affiliation and genuine partnerships based on shared values and goals rather than siloed and divisive bunkers of partisan affiliations.
Kevin Jensen has served his community for almost three decades working his way up through the ranks of the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office.
Since his retirement in 2013, Captain Jensen has taught classes to new recruits, as well as law enforcement management courses. He also served as the President of the California Chapter of the FBI National Academy Associates through 2013 and served in 2014 as the Immediate Past President.
Throughout his career, Captain Jensen pursued educational opportunities to maximize his skills in law enforcement:
• Sheriff's Leadership Development Course, 1999
• BA, Management, St. Mary’s College of California, 2003
• MA, Leadership, St. Mary’s College of California, 2004
• Graduate, FBI's National Academy Session #222, 2005
• Certified Teacher, Police Officer Standards and Training, Current
Kevin has nearly three decades of service to the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office and has held numerous leadership positions within the agency:
• Assistant Chief, Department of Correction
• Jail Administration Commander
• Patrol Watch Commander
• Stanford DPS Liaison
• Court Security Division Commander
• Administrative Coroner
• Patrol Watch Commander
• Elmwood Detention Facility Commander
• Risk Program Manager, California's Urban Area Security Initiative (terrorism prevention, mitigation and response)
Captain, Santa Clara County Sheriffs, 2004-2013
Served as Stanford Department of Public Safety Liaison, Jail Administration Commander, Court Security Division Commander and Administrative Coroner. Named Risk and Information Sharing Program Manager for the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) -- tasked with terrorism prevention, mitigation, response and recovery for the 12-county region. Selected in late 2012 to serve as the Risk Program Manager for all California UASIs. Also served as Assistant Chief of the Department of Correction and Commander of Elmwood Detention Facility, 2008-2010.
Lieutenant, Santa Clara County Sheriffs, 2002-2004
In 2002, Jensen was promoted to Lieutenant. During the next three years, he commanded Reserve Operations and Community Services, served as Patrol Watch Commander and was selected to serve as Assistant Division Commander for the Jails Administration Division. By 2004, he was promoted to the rank of Captain.
Sergeant, Santa Clara County Sheriffs, 1999-2002
Supervised jail operations, patrol functions, traffic management and enforcement and conducted sensitive investigations into allegations of employee misconduct during his two-year assignment in Internal Affairs.
Deputy, Santa Clara County Sheriffs, 1985
Kevin Jensen began his law enforcement career as a deputy with Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office in 1985 and graduated from the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office Academy in 1986. After graduating from the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office Academy in 1986 (receiving awards for Top Overall Recruit and Top Athlete in his class), Jensen's duties included service in the County's jail facilities, courts, unincorporated areas and patrol and traffic enforcement in contract cities. He served as a Jail Facilities Training Officer, Investigator of Criminal Offenses within the jails and was selected to be a member of the Sheriff's Emergency Response Team (SERT), the SWAT team for the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office.
Current Service: Law Enforcement Instructor, Continued service to: International Network Dedicated to Making Communities Safer
Captain Jensen teaches the Leadership, Professionalism, and Ethics course to new recruits, as well as management training classes. He also served as the President of the California Chapter of the FBI National Academy Associates through 2013.