Report 2021-105 Recommendation 58 Responses
Report 2021-105: Law Enforcement Departments Have Not Adequately Guarded Against Biased Conduct (Release Date: April 2022)
Recommendation #58 To: Stockton Police Department
To strengthen its relationships with its community and mitigate the effects of bias on its officers, Stockton Police should develop and begin implementing a documented
strategy to do all of the following by April 2023:
- Collaborate with its communities to establish or leverage community advisory boards consisting of representatives of diverse groups. The strategy should specify how it will partner with the boards in the areas of recruitment, hiring, training, and community engagement, as well as how it will leverage the boards to obtain feedback on how it can better serve its community.
- Ensure that officers at all levels regularly participate in community engagement activities.
- Periodically survey its community to assess the effectiveness of its community engagement efforts and solicit feedback on how to improve its operations.
Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From April 2026
Per a previous response, this was fully implemented in January 2022. Option not available in drop down.
SPD developed and implemented a comprehensive community engagement strategy.
Practices Implemented
Community Leaders
SPD collaborates with advisory boards representing:
- Faith based groups
- Cultural and ethnic organizations
- Youth organizations
- Neighborhood associations
The Community Partners provide input on:
- Recruitment
- Hiring
- Training
- Community engagement
- Bias mitigation
Diversified Recruitment Strategy
SPD expanded recruitment efforts by:
- Assigning recruiters from diverse backgrounds
- Leveraging community members as recruitment ambassadors
- Establishing pipelines in:
o High schools
o Community colleges
o Universities
o Athletic programs
o Military bases
o Community centers in diverse neighborhoods
Officer Participation in Community Engagement
Officers regularly participate in:
- Community events
- Youth mentorship
- Cultural celebrations
- Neighborhood meetings
Community Surveys
SPD periodically solicits feedback from the community to assess engagement effectiveness and identify areas for improvement.
- Completion Date: January 2024
California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Partially Implemented
Stockton has provided a copy of its strategic plan, which features a goal of increasing partnership opportunities and trust between the department and the community. The department's plan describes that it will take specific steps, such as participating in a specified number of community events and participation in advisory boards, to achieve this goal. Although these are positive initiatives, the department has not provided evidence that it has addressed all aspects of our recommendation. Specifically, we could not determine that the department has a way to monitor whether officers at all levels participate in community engagement activities.
- Auditee did not address all aspects of the recommendation
Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From March 2025
Per a previous response, this was fully implemented in January 2022. Option not available in drop down.
- Completion Date: January 2023
California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Pending
Stockton reiterates that it implemented this recommendation in 2022. We received no additional information from Stockton that changes our previous assessment.
- Auditee did not substantiate its claim of full implementation
Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From October 2023
1). The Department has and will continue to leverage meetings with the Chief's Community Advisory Board and the City Manager's Review Board to discuss the Department's training, recruitment, and community engagement at quarterly meetings.
2). Officers at all ranks have been active in community engagement and recruiting efforts. In October 2022, the Office of the Chief of Police began its own engagement campaigns that included neighborhood walks, school campus walks, and attending various community events. In this campaign, members from all levels participate in the activities.
3). The Department does not intend to implement a periodic survey at this time.
- Completion Date: January 2022
California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Pending
Stockton did not provide documentation substantiating its implementation of this recommendation. Additionally, for this recommendation to be fully implemented Stockton will need to conduct a periodic survey to collect information on the effectiveness of its community engagement efforts and to solicit areas for improvement.
- Auditee did not substantiate its claim of full implementation
All Recommendations in 2021-105
Agency responses received are posted verbatim.