Getting Answers Road Tour: Stockton Crime, Courthouse And Speeders
STOCKTON (CBS13) - It's a city that's gotten a bad rap for violent crime. For a lot of people who call Stockton home, the homicide rate is a concern.
"The killing…one of my partners just got killed the other day," said Lonia, a Stockton resident.
Lonia wants to know what Stockton police are doing to stop the killings.
The answer is a great deal, and they're seeing results. Stockton Police Department spokesperson Officer Joe Silva is quick to point out one homicide is too many.
He tells us the murder rate has gone down significantly. Since the dark days of 2011 when Stockton saw 58 homicides, and in 2012 the record breaking ugly year of 71 homicides, there has been a steady decrease.
What about this year?
"So far this year, we've investigated 21 homicides as compared to 24 at this time last year, so we have seen a decrease in homicides," said Silva.
Half of those crimes have been solved, thanks in part to the people of Stockton who have stepped up to be as open as ever about the violent crimes they have witnessed or know something about.
"What we really appreciate from our community is that they're reporting tips like they never have before in regards to what gang or who the possible shooter is, and they're doing it through Crime Stoppers or social media," he said.
It's giving officers real-time information to help solve the crime.
"And that helps them immediately focus in on that particular group or that particular person instead of waiting maybe a month or two down the road," said Silva.
In addition to regular patrol officers, the department is also beefing up its Community Response Team, which is comprised of street-enforcement officers who walk the beat, building relationships and trust.
Speaking of building, it's the next hot topic on this road tour stop. We went to find out about construction on the new San Joaquin County Courthouse in downtown Stockton. It's next to the old one. Construction started in 2013. More than a few people want to know: When will the new courthouse finally be done?
The judge in charge of the new building says it's scheduled to be done in November 2016, with everyone moving in the following month. The total cost of the courthouse is $272 million.
CBS13 viewer Tori is talking about cars along the so-called Miracle Mile section of Stockton and in surrounding residential neighborhoods:
"I'm just wondering, are they doing to install speed bumps?" said Tori.
We reach out to police again for this answer:
"Yes, we get a lot of complaints in regards to speeders -- whether it's in a business district or a neighborhood," said Silva.
But police don't make the final call on where to put in speed bumps. They work in conjunction with the city traffic division, which says concerned citizens can actually request speed bumps or other enforcement techniques through the city's Traffic Calming Program.
Do you want Tony to make a stop in your town for a future road tour? You can email him at tlopez@kovr.com.
