Watch CBS News

Stockton Looking For Answers After Week Of Homicides

STOCKTON (CBS13) — City leaders in Stockton are considering two programs they hope will reduce the number of homicides the city has experienced over the last few days.

Since June 27, police have investigated a total of seven homicides around Stockton.

Mayor Michael Tubbs is looking over two programs that have seen success in other cities. He's trying to figure out if they would work out here in Stockton.

The city of Stockton has had one homicide every day for the last week. It's an alarming spike in shootings that is causing concern for the police force.

"What we've seen over this last week is just unacceptable; just the brassiness of these suspects, going out in the middle of the day, daylight hours, committing shootings," said Joe Silva with the Stockton Police Department.

So far this year, officers have investigated a total of 23 homicides. Last year around this time, Stockton police had a total of 25 homicides.

"All life is sacred. One homicide is one too many, and unfortunately, we've had a lot in a short amount of time," said Tubbs.

The mayor is considering two programs to help reduce gun violence. Detroit's Project Greenlight is a groundbreaking crime-fighting partnership where real-time cameras are installed at several businesses and are connected directly to police.

"This is a long-standing issue in this city, one that is going to require consistent focus and effort," he said.

The second is a fellowship program out of Richmond that provides known criminals counseling and social services and up to $1,000 a month to stay out of trouble.

"It's kind of ridiculous because Stockton's problems are very different from Richmond's problems," said Motecuzoma Sanchez, an activist in Stockton.

He says initiatives like Richmond's fellowship program won't work in Stockton because the city needs something more concrete and transparent.

"People that are crazy enough to shoot somebody in traffic in broad daylight are not going to be persuaded by a $1,000 stipend program. Somebody that is involved in illicit activities making $5,000 or more than that is not going to give that up because somebody wants to pay them $1,000," he said.

Again, the mayor is considering those programs; nothing is finalized. He says these are just ideas to help improve this community.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.