March 02--STOCKTON -- Newly sworn-in Stockton Police Chief Eric Jones says he will shake up the department, where he has spent 19 years as a police officer.
"It will not be status quo. We will be doing things differently," said Jones in a news conference, where he outlined his goals.
"Gangs and guns will be our focus," said Jones, whose city got a black eye last year by breaking a record for the number of homicides in Stockton.
Jones said he wants to change the model of policing in the city by having a high visibility flexible response to violent crime incidents. The changes have already begun. Jones cited several homicides last month in which watch commanders were allowed to call in a gang task force, detectives and other resources to prevent retaliations.
Thursday, this "real time" policing strategy was used to capture an armed robber who they believe was responsible for seven armed robberies.
"At the lowest level, we redeployed resources without waiting for a staff meeting the following week," said Jones.
But the new strategy comes at a cost. Jones said during violent incidents, officers may not show up for calls involving property crimes like thefts for vandalism. He said online and telephone crime reports may be more common.
"There will be a service level reduction and we ask the communities patience regarding that," said Jones.
Jones lives in the city limits and says he has a stake in making the city safer.
The new chief came up through the ranks in the Department and worked early on in the Community Oriented Policing program which has gone by the wayside after budget cuts in a city on the verge of bankruptcy. He says he wants to reconnect with citizens and community so that they can help prevent crime and cooperate more fully with police.
Jones also says he believes front line officers have a lot of ideas to contribute and that he is in a unique position to understand their needs.
Jones says he wants to bring some stability to the department in uncertain times. Just 40 years old, he says he hopes to be at the helm for many years to come.
He also says he will rely on frontline officers for advice and ideas, and that he's in a unique position to understand their needs.
"I've been out there in the black and white chasing the bad guys. I don't forget those days either, I think our officers know that, and that's why we have a connection," said Jones.
Copyright 2012 - KTXL-TV, Sacramento, Calif.
