09/05/2026
To the citizens of Stockton,
For nearly two years, we have watched the dysfunction and chaos coming out of City Hall. Month after month, another controversy emerges of City Hall’s own making. The consequences extend far beyond the council chambers.
They have damaged morale throughout this department and across city government, while creating a false narrative that the men and women of SPOA are somehow failing to do their jobs. Nothing could be further from the truth.
While City Hall engages in political infighting, our officers are pulled from the streets to serve as security, protection details, escorts, and on repeated occasions they have been required to spend their time chasing down baseless claims that appeared to be politically motivate.
We have even received requests for marked police units to follow former City employees to their homes because of unfounded fears that a council member might somehow orchestrate an assault against them.
Our officers are routinely taken away from their normal assignments to stand in hallways, back rooms, committee meetings, and City Council chambers. Metal detectors, explosive sweeps by dogs, and other security measures have become new expectations related to the hostility, accusations, and reckless rhetoric coming from within City Hall itself and the non elected individuals they associate with.
Every officer pulled into the fray is an officer who is not on the street answering calls, preventing crime, and serving the public. Officers have also been pulled from regular assignments because of the enormous overtime costs associated with the number of officers previously deemed necessary to protect council members from constituents and allegedly from each other.
We have seen new positions created and poorly vetted individuals placed in them, only to see those individuals removed days or weeks later when their incompetence became too difficult to hide. We have watched department heads resign or be fired. We are aware of numerous current and pending lawsuits involving personnel decisions and alleged vendettas. We have watched individuals who were previously fired or pushed out make remarkable comebacks. We have even seen seventh place become the new first place. We’ve seen builders get millions but build nothing and somehow get more. People allegedly promised City Land and staff to run their “non-profits.” Friends suddenly getting department head meetings and Public Works projects to benefit only them. Former City employees hiding their relationships to get a Police response for their own agenda. This onslaught of demands for action that have only come in this turmoil and election cycle. And this only a few of the alleged activities that we have been made aware of.
The revolving door is not leadership. It is not accountability. It is bad government.
We are deeply concerned that people with experience and integrity are increasingly unwilling to work for this City. At the same time, there appears to be no shortage of former elected officials, self-described community activists, and outside interests willing to enter the chaos with their hand out. Conveniently showing up at election time.
Through all of this, the Police Department has been fortunate to have consistent leadership. Leadership that has worked to keep this department from becoming another participant in the City Hall infighting.
But we are increasingly concerned that the Police Department may now be next in line for political interference, with consequences that could set this agency back 20 years.
Supporting the police means standing up when officers are unfairly attacked. It means rejecting false narratives, demanding facts instead of political theater, and defending the integrity of the men and women who show up every day to perform an incredibly difficult job under increasingly difficult circumstances. It certainly means not expecting special treatment or favors from the department and its officers.
We have serious concerns about the current 4–3 political split and the impact it may have on this department. We have no confidence that a new Police Chief or other key leadership will be selected based on experience, qualifications, and what is best for this department and the citizens we serve. Nor do we think it is necessary for there to be discussions, insinuations, or attempts to change this leadership. Or create an unregulated board of political cronies to provide “oversight” of how we operate.
We don’t support the undermining of the department, its administration, or the members of the SPOA within. It also means understanding that this department serves the entire City. Campaign promises to individual supporters should never result in officers being pulled from legitimate assignments simply to fulfill promises that should never have been made.
Our concern is that political loyalty will be valued over professional competence. We have repeatedly seen examples that give us reason to believe this.
The men and women of this department answer every call to the best of our ability and within the limits of the law and department policy. Sometimes information can be released, and sometimes it cannot. Sometimes the public can be given information immediately; other times, there are legitimate investigative reasons why information must be withheld. Transparency is not a political tool or buzzword for political aim. The department’s policies and procedures are online for the public to see.
The Police Officer Bill of Rights is enumerated in the government code. Transparency as a catchphrase does not entitle anyone regardless of their position to privileged information. Particularly if this information is only to try and discredit this organization or a political foe or to push out another department head to replace with some surrogate or scrupulous individual.
Assuming a sinister motive every time information is not immediately released demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of police investigations and the realities of law enforcement.
We will not allow political agendas or City Hall drama to define the work of our officers. SPOA knows who runs the Police Department. It would be nice if we knew who runs the City.
We know what these officers do every day. We see them answer calls, confront dangerous situations, investigate crimes, deal with people at their worst moments, and continue serving this community regardless of the political chaos surrounding them.
This department and our membership are not a political bargaining chips. Our officers are not pawns in anyone’s power struggle. And the safety of this community should never be sacrificed to settle political scores or fulfill personal promises.
We are doing the work that some people take credit for. We are not here to be actors staged to make a situation appear worse than it is, generate sympathy, or lend credibility to exaggerated claims against another member of the Council or department head.
To the citizens of this City, your police officers are still here. We are still working. We are still answering the calls. And we remain committed to doing the job the right way.
In terms of an accusation made about impropriety by an officer and their use of Flock cameras, that will be thoroughly investigated, and if the allegation is found to be proven, this organization is 100% certain that the right action against that officer would be taken. But just like everybody we arrest we too are afforded the Constitutional Rights of the United States, which says we are innocent till proven guilty. Personnel matters aren’t to be addressed in a public setting so that they can be litigated by the unknowing.
And if we do have an officer who did do something that is illegal, we certainly won’t stand behind their actions and welcome their release from not only this organization, but from the profession as a whole. We fight every day to maintain our credibility and our respect with the members of the public. And we will not let one potential bad apple destroy that nor will we allow theater to destroy us as an entire entity because of that one person.
Judge us by our actions not by the accusations, distractions, and political theater coming out of City Hall.
The men and women of SPOA deserve better. The Police Department deserves better. And the citizens of this City deserve better.
Stockton Police Department
San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office
