By: Courtney Wood

Our June 10^th Talk to Downtown episode featured Chief Stanley McFadden of the Stockton Police Department. If you missed the episode, you can watch it here.  Read the blog below for just a few highlights from the interview, hosted by Courtney Wood. To hear everything Chief McFadden talked about, check out the full Talk to Downtown episode.

Chief McFadden’s Experience & Background

Having previously served 30 years in the San Jose Police Department, and retiring as Deputy Chief of Operations there, McFadden is now in his 34^th year of policing – serving as the Chief of Stockton PD since 2022.

What categories of service are provided by Stockton PD?

During the interview, McFadden outlined policing services, animal shelter services, and neighborhood services as the key categories of service provided by Stockton PD.

What is the Mission of Stockton PD?

McFadden noted three aspects of the mission of Stockton PD. The first is “making sure our officers are well;” the second is to “build relationships” in all corners of the community; and third is “making people feel safe” by removing criminal elements from the streets.

Let’s Talk About Crime

Chief McFadden shared that violent crime is at decade lows in Stockton! He emphasized during the episode that “we haven’t seen lows like these for 13 to 15 years.” He said that shootings, specifically, were at record lows, with last year seeing only 96 of them. “We’ve never been under 100 in over 20 years…incredible work is being done,” McFadden noted.

McFadden credits some of the crime reduction to the See Something, Say Something campaign, the Parenting with Purpose Program, and members of the community coming forward with information about crimes within our community. He is very proud of the department and the rest of the Stockton community for the work being done “to change the name and the narrative in Stockton that we are getting safer. We’re not going to tolerate these things happening in our town.”

An Example of Stockton PD’s Impact on the Community

When asked to share a story that highlights the impact that Stockton PD has on the community, Chief McFadden spoke about an officer-involved shooting which resulted from an incident of domestic violence in which someone was actively being stabbed while an officer was present. This incident involved a large family with many children. McFadden noted that he “couldn’t be more proud of the connection that came out of that trauma…trauma bonds us and we have truly bonded with this family.” McFadden shared that “One of the children in the family just graduated from 8^th grade…and the officer involved in the shooting was requested by the family to attend a graduation, which he did.” McFadden himself has also spoken with the victim of this incident during his Chief walks, and has “connected her to additional resources that have been needed based on a traumatic incident that she survived.” He views every interaction between police and the community as opportunities to connect and build relationships.

McFadden’s Goals & Priorities as Police Chief

McFadden’s #1 priority is “that every goes home safe…and stays safe. So that goes for my staff, [and] that goes for every community member…I want everyone to make it home…I view everyone as…being…my responsibility.” Another mission of McFadden’s is to increase the mounted police presence throughout the city; since becoming chief, he has tripled the number of mounted police. He also stresses the importance of embracing technology, like the recently acquired drones, to help increase the efficiency of Stockton PD; this is especially important due to the smaller size of the police department.

What Does Chief McFadden love about Downtown Stockton?

“It’s intimate. It’s quiet. I would like to see more businesses open there, but it’s got so much upside, meaning so much more could be there…I know there’s been conversations with Economic Development on how to just reimagine what Downtown could be, and we’re going to continue to make those areas safer because without public safety, there is no economic development…we can help EDD dream their dreams by us helping people feel safe in those areas.”

How can the community help Stockton PD?

Without hesitation, McFadden stated, “Send me a family member that you think would be incredible in public service. They don’t have to be an officer. They could be a dispatcher. They could be a records clerk. They can be a property clerk. They could work in budget. Almost every profession, every college major, there’s an area in this police department that you could work within.” He emphasized that Stockton PD is hiring; so if you or someone you know is looking for opportunities, check out this link with available positions at the Stockton Police Department. Or visit joinstocktonpd.com.

How can someone report information about a crime anonymously?

McFadden says that Stockton PD has a great partnership with Crimestoppers, which is where anonymous tips can be provided. Click here to visit the Crimestoppers website or go to stocktoncrimestoppers.org. Here is the number to call: 209.946.0600

UPCOMING EVENTS

McFadden talked about Public Safety Day, which is coming up on August 8th at Weber Point Events Center in Downtown Stockton. He also touched on National Night Out – this year it will be August 4th and takes place at various location across the City of Stockton. (The Downtown Stockton Alliance will be hosting an NNO event at Banner Island Ballpark.)

What does McFadden love about his job?

“I love the community…the roots run so deep here in Stockton. These are passionate people that are always willing to show up and they’re so in tune with the community.”

In Conclusion

This was a very informative episode of Talk to Downtown, and we encourage anyone interested in the Stockton community to check out the full interview. The DSA thanks Chief McFadden, and all at Stockton PD, for the amazing work they do keeping our community safe. We appreciate the time chief McFadden took to participate in this interview.