A San Jose police community service officer was killed and another was seriously injured Saturday night after being struck by a driver suspected of being under the influence of alcohol.
The crash occurred while officers were “conducting traffic control for an unrelated incident on Monterey Road,” the San Jose Police Department said Sunday afternoon. a declaration posted on social media. The driver was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.
The community service officer job is a civilian position created in 2014; officers respond to and investigate lower-priority calls for service, according to the Police Department. website.
The department has not released information about the identities of the officers or the driver or other key details about the incident, including whether charges were filed and exactly when and where the crash occurred.
“Our entire law enforcement family is heartbroken by this line-of-duty death, and our collective arms are around his family, friends and teammates as we all deal with this painful incident,” the department said.
“We are also praying for our other CSOs [community service officer] who suffered serious injuries during the traffic accident and is still hospitalized. I hope she has a speedy recovery.”
A representative for the San Jose Police Department's media relations unit said via email that the department would provide more information during a news conference at its headquarters at 3 p.m. Monday. The event will be streamed live on the department's website. Instagram page.
“This is the first line-of-duty death of a police officer in the history of the SJPD,” Sunday’s statement said. “We pray it will be the last.”
