SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento Police Department is receiving federal resources to deliver technical assistance and resources to tackle crime over the next three years.
Chief Kathy Lester says Sacramento is 1 of only 6 cities to be awarded the National Public Safety Partnership Grant.
"It creates a whole new relationship at the federal level to bring in resources," said Lester. "It's not a monetary grant. It's three years of technical assistance. We have experts come in and take a look at what we are doing. They've give us not only resources but really take a look at our strategy. It will help us make changes if we need to."
The new federal assistance comes as the city faces a wave of violent crimes.
A deadly shooting at Grant Union High School during Friday night football marked 50 homicides in the capital city. Sacramento had a total of 58 homicides in 2021.
"I've said it and I'll say it again. Community safety is a shared responsibility," said Lester. "It takes all of us. It's not just the city. It's not just the community and it's certainly not just the police department that can do this."
Lester says the police department is working with community groups in the city.
"That's one of the great things about Sacramento. We have a lot of community based organizations," said Lester. "They have been here for a long time and they are proven to do good work."
Lester admits part of the problem is due to staffing shortages. The Sacramento Police Department is authorized for 769 employees but currently only has 684 sworn employees. This leaves the department 85 people short.
"Back in 2008 we used to have 804. We're at 769," said Lester. "The city has grown."
She says staffing shortages come, in part, from application shortages.
"We saw 10,000 applications a year for the position of police officer [10 years ago]. This year we're seeing less than 700 applications," said Lester. "We don't just hire anybody just to fill those numbers. Everyone is under pressure to fill the ranks. I certainly would love to say we're fully staffed, but it's about bringing the right people, with the right heart and the right intentions to the police department in today's environment."
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