As the 1940’s came to a close, the City of Sunnyvale and its 9,829 citizens were faced with a dilemma; a population and territory growth that was overwhelming the 16 member police department and the volunteer fire department.  In June of 1950, Sunnyvale City Council agreed to implement the Department of Public Safety.  The combining of police and fire services was expected to be more flexible and more responsive to community safety needs, and economize operational cost.  Now, 60 years later, we see that the bold decisions of the 1950 City Council was the birth for one of the largest, best trained, most successful and highly regarded Public Safety Departments in the nation.

Today, the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety employs over 300 personnel with 210 sworn, fully crossed trained officers.  From its inception, the Department has always hired the very best personnel to ensure a highly motivated, innovative and “World Class” organization.  With an incorporated territory of 25 square miles and a growing population of over 130,000, Sunnyvale has become a big city, while still maintaining the “small town” ideals of service and community satisfaction.  Our organizational goal, and the expectation of all employees is expressed in our mission statement:

To safeguard lives, protect property and ensure a quality of life whereby our community may enjoy a sense of peace and security.   The people of Public Safety are our greatest resource and the partnerships with the community our most valued asset.  We take pride in serving others with dignity, fairness and respect.  We will continue to deliver Public Safety services using new ideas that respond to our communities changing needs.