Palo Alto at a glance
Population by race and Hispanic origin
Cities in this database with the most similarly-sized populations
Full-time law enforcement staff, Palo Alto Police Department
- 72 Officers
- 52 Civilian staff
Full-time law enforcement officers per 1,000 residents
- 1.91 Palo Alto
- 1.6 National average, cities with 50,000 to 99,999 population
- 2.2 National average
These figures reflect the Palo Alto Police Department only, and do not include state or other police agencies that may be present in this location.
Federal grant funding for Palo Alto
We were unable to locate any federal grant funding for this location based on our standard search parameters. Learn more about the grant programs we are tracking.
Military equipment transfers
We were unable to locate any military equipment transfers for this location using the LESO Property Transferred to Participating Agencies database published by the Defense Logistics Agency. It is possible that this location has acquired military equipment for policing via other sources or programs.
Local police misconduct data, consent decrees, and settlements
Data last updated July 9, 2025
Settlements
We identified 2 publicly reported settlements that resulted in $285,000.00 in monetary compensation to victims.
| Year | Description | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 |
The City of Palo Alto, California, reached a settlement of $150,000 with Julio Arevalo, who claimed that a Palo Alto police officer falsely arrested him in July 2019. Arevalo, who was twenty-three years old at the time, was standing outside of Happy Donuts when Agent Thomas DeStefano asked him if he was on probation. Arevalo tried to walk away from DeStefano, but the agent followed him and tried to pin Arevalo’s arm behind his back to detain him, before flipping Arevalo to the ground. Arevalo sued the City of Palo Alto in November 2019, accusing the Police Department of violating his civil rights by violently attacking and falsely arresting him. He sought $3.85 million for “personal injury, emotional distress, property damage, other damages, and the like,” but settled with the City for $150,000. |
Compensation
$150,000.00 |
| 2022 |
The City of Palo Alto, California, paid $135,000 to settle a lawsuit involving a man who was attacked by a police dog while sleeping in his family’s backyard. In June 2020, Joel Alejo was sleeping in his family’s backyard in Palo Alto when an officer, Nick Enberg, ordered his police dog to bite Alejo while the police were searching in the area for a kidnapping suspect. Alejo was subsequently taken to the hospital because of his injuries. In January 2022, the City settled Alejo’s case for $135,000, yet Enberg remained on the force with a police dog as of September 2021. This was the fifth police misconduct lawsuit that Palo Alto settled between February 2016 and January 2022, costing a total of $1,282,500. |
Compensation
$135,000.00 |