Every police officer is a firefighter – and an EMT – in this South Bay City. Is that the “magic sauce” to being one of America’s safest cities?

Under a blazing bright November sun, Officer Andrew Tara re-arranged the gear for his patrol car on the asphalt outside of the department headquarters in Sunnyvale. Inside the car, evidence bags and a riot helmet is familiar to most police officers — not so much the other items he carries: a defibrillator and a full firefighting uniform with a respirator.

The gamut of equipment might seem unusual for a police officer, but Tara isn’t just a police officer, he’s also a firefighter and an EMT ...