City Government

Stockton Dramatically Lowers Crime Rates

Published

12 years ago

October 8, 2013

The City of Stockton is showing dramatic results in reducing crime. With homicides down 60 percent, armed robberies down 28 percent, and overall violent crime down 16.8 percent in the first half of 2013, many are asking how the city did it.

“The key to our success here in Stockton is that we didn’t think in the box. We fought to get our results by any means necessary,” says Mayor Anthony Silva.

Due to financial constraints, Stockton had been laying off police, and city government was in conflict with its own police department. Some government officials claimed the police were the reason the city was heading towards bankruptcy.

Mayor Anthony Silva

Elected in November 2012, Mayor Silva placed the safety of his constituents as his top priority. He reached out to former Police Chief of Los Angeles and former Police Commissioner for New York City and Boston William Bratton.

Bratton reinforced the message that without strategic suppression and targeted arrests, a city cannot reduce crime and control behavior. He believed cops matter and that smart policing matters.

This approach to the problem worked for Stockton. The police department focused on illegal guns and gangs and improved community relations.

As city resources grew scarce, Neighborhood Watch groups flourished. The police worked closely with the groups, and that became crucial, along with a partnership with federal agencies, such as the U.S. Marshals and the FBI.

Together, they were able to go after the 20 percent of the criminals who were responsible for 80 percent of the homicides.

The Stockton Police Department gained 37 officers this year and is expecting another 17 relatively soon. However, Mayor Silva says there is still a long way to go.

Stockton needs to continue to focus on keeping the arrest rate high, stopping even minor offenses like graffiti and littering. At the county level, Stockton needs the jail problem to get fixed.

There must be extra beds available to incarcerate prisoners who cannot be safely allowed to be on the streets.

“Stockton has had incredible gains in reducing crime, and a high arrest rate will sustain that reduction,” said Silva.

“When this is done, I will prioritize crime prevention programs in Stockton. But right now we need every precious dollar going to making my city safe.

“Safety first. That is the foundation on which we can rebuild our city.”

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Remembering George Floyd

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing.

Published

3 days ago

June 2, 2025

Oakland Post

Mural showing the portrait of George Floyd in Mauerpark in Berlin. To the left of the portrait the lettering "I can't Breathe" was added, on the right side the three hashtags #GeorgeFloyd, #Icantbreathe and #Sayhisname. The mural was completed by Eme Street Art (facebook name) / Eme Free Thinker (signature) on 29 May 2020. (Wikimedia Commons)

By April Ryan
BlackPressUSA Newswire

“The president’s been very clear he has no intentions of pardoning Derek Chauvin, and it’s not a request that we’re looking at,” confirms a senior staffer at the Trump White House. That White House response results from public hope, including from a close Trump ally, Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. The timing of Greene’s hopes coincides with the Justice Department’s recent decision to end oversight of local police accused of abuse. It also falls on the fifth anniversary of the police-involved death of George Floyd on May 25th. The death sparked national and worldwide outrage and became a transitional moment politically and culturally, although the outcry for laws on police accountability failed.

The death forced then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden to focus on deadly police force and accountability. His efforts while president to pass the George Floyd Justice in policing act failed. The death of George Floyd also put a spotlight on the Black community, forcing then-candidate Biden to choose a Black woman running mate. Kamala Harris ultimately became vice president of the United States alongside Joe Biden. Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison prosecuted the cases against the officers involved in the death of Floyd. He remembers,” Trump was in office when George Floyd was killed, and I would blame Trump for creating a negative environment for police-community relations. Remember, it was him who said when the looting starts, the shooting starts, it was him who got rid of all the consent decrees that were in place by the Obama administration.”

In 2025, Police-involved civilian deaths are up by “about 100 to about 11 hundred,” according to Ellison. Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African-American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing. During those minutes on the ground, Floyd cried out for his late mother several times. Police subdued Floyd for an alleged counterfeit $20 bill.