The West Valley Substation, which the Sheriff's Department leases from the United States Postal Service, does not meet the requirements and demands of the department. The current station serves the needs of the Saratoga, Cupertino, Los Altos Hills and some unincorporated areas nearby.

"We had 40 officers when we started in 1983. Now we have staff that is close to 90," said Capt. John Hirokawa of the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department.

"We have been struggling in this 4,700-square-foot space for many, many years. By 1990 we had realized that this office space was too little for us. It was below standard and way too small," said Hirokawa.

"We have parking issues, we have roof leaks, we have a host of problems."

The building that houses the Sheriff's Department was built in the late '60s. Officers say that the building floods every year. As Hirokawa pointed out, the air conditioning system was down during the current heat wave that hit the Bay Area. "The temperature inside the building last night was 88 degrees," said Hirokawa on Sept. 9.

The Sheriff's Department has been looking hard for the last few years. In 1996, there was some talk of acquiring land and building a new station. But that proved to be too expensive.

In early 2004, the department almost signed a contract with a property owner near Cox and Saratoga avenues. But then the owner got a better offer from a private company.

This time around, the department has identified a property on Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road just outside the Saratoga border in Cupertino. "This is ideal for us. It is very difficult to find 10,000 to 12,000 square feet of space and parking for all our cars, official and personal," said Hirokawa.

Some basic agreements have already been signed. The city of Cupertino has already given the go-ahead to the Sheriff's Department. Saratoga and Los Altos Hills are expected to follow this week.

Hirokawa said that the new offices would be less than a football field away from Saratoga. "The cost is also lower than the property on Cox Avenue that we were looking at earlier in the year," he said.

At a Saratoga City Council meeting on Sept. 1, Hirokawa explained the difficulties that his department has had to endure over the years. The council then asked Capt. Hirokawa for more information at the next meeting before it agreed to sign a contract with the Sheriff's Department for 10 years.

"I think it is prudent for us to move when rents are low rather than when rents are high," said Hirokawa. "I do not want to be in a position where we are forced to move out of the building during an emergency. It is going to cost us less in the long term."

The city of Saratoga pays $30,000 a year as its share of the rent for the West Valley Substation. Once the department moves to the new station in Cupertino, it will pay $100,000 a year.

"For years we have tried to work with the fire department about the West Valley Substation, but it never worked out," said Mayor Ann Waltonsmith. "This building has mold in it. A survey done a few years ago showed that the building was really unsafe."

"We have always wanted them to be in Saratoga. If they have their headquarters here, if they meet here, we always get a little bit extra," said Waltonsmith. "But we don't want them to fall sick from the mold."

Capt. Hirokawa said that the response time for sheriff's deputies would not change when they move to their new office. "We have people in the field. We just radio the information to them. This is not a fire station where everyone rushes out of the same building," he said.

"I know that some people are going to be unhappy that we are moving away from Saratoga," said Hirokawa. But he said that there was no other solution in sight.

"I will be sorry to see them go," said Waltonsmith.