The Stockton Police Department is going to great lengths to recruit much-needed officers, from attending festivals in neighboring cities to recruiting candidates as far away as Lexington, Kentucky.
The department currently has 364 officers, but its goal is to have 485. With other law enforcement agencies competing for candidates, Stockton is working hard to convince qualified and diverse candidates to join their department.
"We need to make sure we get out in the community and kind of not only reach the young people, the children in junior high and high school, but kind of educate them in regards to the opportunities that are available in law enforcement," said Stockton police recruiter Lt. Anabel Morris.
One of the biggest challenges in recruiting officers is fierce competition from other departments, many of which offer higher starting salaries than Stockton. Morris acknowledged the need to keep up with the market with other places and look at incentivizing people to stay at the agency.
The Stockton Police Department has implemented "organizational wellness" as a way to retain officers and show they care. The program includes an app on officers' phones to ensure they can reach out at any time, as well as full-time officers on staff and a chaplain.
Recruiting qualified and diverse candidates is essential for any police department, and the Stockton Police Department is committed to finding the best officers to serve and protect their community.
