STOCKTON, Calif. — Stockton Police Chief Stanley McFadden walked around a troubled Weston Ranch shopping center Wednesday morning with news of a once-struggling police force now on the mend.
The day started with a pep talk at a coffee shop off Carolyn Weston Boulevard.
"We're happy to be here," said McFadden. "We know there have been some quality of life issues in the area that we're here to tackle, we're here to have these conversations."
After, it was time for the nearly two dozen officers and police administrators to cross the street — a show of police presence in the same parking lot where two teens were shot in broad daylight in May.
"There is still some crime here and some concerns and we're never going to be done," said McFadden. "We're going to continue to revamp, re-assess and re-introduce new things."
Managers at one business voiced concerns about slow police response to robberies and shooting threats.
"Help is on the way," said McFadden.
As much as the community walkthrough was about talking to business owners and getting them to sign up for the department's business watch program, it was also a chance for the chief to show off what he described as a department that's building back better.
The walkthrough included officers on horses and on bikes — a program suspended due to an officer shortage a year ago.
"Staffing levels now are at 365. That's a number we haven't been at for a year," said McFadden. "So 365 allows us to do a lot more than what we've been doing."
With the increased staffing and hundreds more police officer candidates in the pipeline, McFadden says conversations are changing within the halls of police headquarters.
"We're having the conversation about where to push resources," said McFadden. "So instead of pulling back resources, we're pushing them places where they haven't been."
In July 2023, staffing woes forced the chief to re-prioritize how the department responds to calls — only sending officers out when there's imminent danger or crimes in progress. The plan also moved some officers from investigative and specialized units back to the streets to patrol.
All of that is now in the past, McFadden says.
"We've already hired 36 this year, which again is great. For all of last year, we hired 31," said McFadden adding the department is also hiring police dispatchers and holding monthly trainee tests. "We're going to keep building back better."
Much like the shops he visited Wednesday, McFadden says Stockton PD is open for business.
"Those that want to have a lot of opportunity for advancement, for new friendships and reduce crime with a great partnership with the community, please come to Stockton PD," he said.
Watch more from ABC10: Daytime shooting of two teens rattles Stockton neighborhood
