Hollister’s police union is warning that mass layoffs of civilian staff could paralyze criminal cases across San Benito County.
The Hollister Police Officers Association says 33,000 pieces of evidence still need to be transferred between reporting systems after the city cut records workers, evidence processors and a police captain to close a budget gap. The association, which represents rank-and-file officers, contends the remaining sworn personnel lack the skills to handle the specialized back-office work now piling up.
Bo Leland of the association told KSBW 8 that the consequences are only beginning to surface. “The officers don’t have the training to process. The reports we have cannot be processed,” he said.
Jennifer Corona, a records employee who lost her job, delivered a stark assessment of the downstream effects for the criminal justice system. “Nothing is going to [the] DA, nothing is going to the court,” Corona told KSBW 8.
The layoffs hit workers responsible for police records, evidence processing, vehicle maintenance and patrol support — functions the association says keep the department operational. City leaders intend to fill seven vacant officer positions, but the union argues more cops cannot substitute for the civilian expertise now gone.
Corona described an emotional departure that caught her off guard. Officers formed a line outside in their patrol cars as colleagues prepared to leave, a gesture of solidarity she found overwhelming. “I felt like I was at a funeral; that’s what it felt like,” Corona said.
Jenelle Hoefling, another laid-off records employee, told KSBW 8 that staff had received some advance notice of cuts but were unprepared for their depth.
Hollister, a Democratic-leaning city of roughly 41,000 in central California, faces expenses that have outpaced revenue and officials who say the reductions are necessary to avoid insolvency. The police association maintains it was shut out of budget deliberations despite requesting a seat at the table.
The evidence backlog and stalled report processing represent the most immediate operational threats, with cases potentially languishing before they ever reach prosecutors. The association’s warnings extend to patrol support and vehicle maintenance, suggesting the cuts could ripple through nearly every function of the 50-plus officer department.
City officials frame the reductions as painful but essential to preserve core services over the long term, though the union disputes that sworn officers can absorb the displaced workload.
The budget crisis in Hollister reflects broader fiscal pressures on California municipalities, where rising pension costs, inflation and stagnant revenue have forced difficult choices. The city’s decision to target civilian police positions rather than sworn officers follows a pattern seen in other cash-strapped departments, though critics argue it risks degrading investigative and prosecutorial outcomes.
Hollister’s next city council meeting is scheduled for early August, where the police association has indicated it will continue pressing for alternative solutions to the staffing reductions.