Stockton police looks to bolster force with new 10 new hires
STOCKTON — The Stockton Police Department is making strides to strengthen its force, welcoming 10 new trainee officers on Wednesday.
This comes as the department tries to recruit and maintain sworn staff against other big cities.
"From the moment I figured out I wanted to be a police officer, I was locked into my head," said Pedro Lupin, Jr.
Lupin is one of the ten newest officers in training for the Stockton Police Department.
"This is the city that I know best. I don't know any other city like Stockton, so it's going to be a bit comforting for me," Lupin said.
Born and raised in Stockton, Lupin, along with the nine other trainees, still has to go through the academy but is ready to serve the community he grew up in.
"I want people to call in and say, 'Hey, this officer you guys have here is truly doing something great,' " he said.
He hopes to one day be a ranking officer.
"The highest ranking that I can ever get here," he said. "If chief is the highest then yes, I want to be chief."
Current Stockton Police Chief Stanley McFadden has been trying to bring people like Lupin to the force for the past six months. While these new trainees bolster the department, there are still dozens of vacancies.
According to the department, the city has budgeted for 425 sworn personnel. Right now, staffing is at 353. Nearly 75 spots remain vacant.
"We're leaner, but we're mighty. When you go lean, you have to reassess," Chief McFadden said. "You have to really look at where you have resources, where you need to move resources and I think we got it down to a science."
Recruitment is at the forefront of the department.
"We have so much more to offer. We have more promotional opportunities. We're on more task force teams than any other force in the county," Chief McFadden said.
Stockton police leaders are working with the city to keep pay competitive.
These trainees are making roughly $72,000 annually. However, other cities like Modesto, according to the government jobs website, are paying up to $90,000 for trainees.
Still, Chief McFadden stresses that having local officers like Lupin makes all the difference.
"These are the streets I grew on. That's the market I used to go to," Chief McFadden said, showing some places he used to frequent. "That's where I used to go eat a hamburger, where they personalize their experience and lean that much harder to provide a service for our community."
"My mom is probably my biggest supporter," Lupin said. "The moment I told her it was all going to work out for me, she made it a bigger deal than I did. So that makes me feel great."
Out of the 10 trainees, five are bilingual.
The police academy takes roughly six months to complete. These trainees are expected to be boots on the ground by January 2025.