Stockton

It may seem as though violent acts such as homicides and injury shootings are picking up, and they are. But compared with other cities around the nation during this pandemic, Stockton is looking good, according to the city’s Office of Violence Prevention.

Since mid-March when the response to the COVID-19 pandemic closed schools, businesses and gathering places and ordered people to stay home, “Stockton has actually had a significant reduction in injury shootings. We looked at it and we are one of the lowest in the nation for this time period,” said Daniel Muhammad, who became the OVP’s new manager last month.

The key to that was being ahead of the game, already having its proven Peacekeepers program in place along with established partnerships with the city’s Police Department and other community partners like San Joaquin General Hospital, the county’s Human Services Agency and private nonprofit agencies.

“When the pandemic hit, we had a jump on it. We already had engagements with the highest risk individuals who are either at the highest risk for being victims of gunshot violence or at the highest risk for being the perpetrators of gunshot violence,” Muhammad said.

Before travel was restricted, other cities including Washington, D.C., New York and Mexico City sent representatives to Stockton to see how its program works. Other cities including Oakland, Seattle and Portland, Oregon, were lined up to visit but had to postpone.

“That’s the ultimate compliment for them to come to us,” Muhammad said.

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Stockton

As homicides and nonviolent shootings in Stockton have decreased over the past year, so has the potential for gang-related violence.

The Office of Violence Prevention presented the results of its efforts during the first half of 2018 to the Stockton City Council on Tuesday night.

Under the supervision of the City Manager’s Office, the OVP works to reduce violence through outreach and partnership programs with local clergy, businesses and nonprofit organizations.

Christian Clegg, deputy city manager, presented the OVP results, highlighting its Operation Ceasefire and Peacekeeper programs.

Operation Peacekeeper, which involves mentoring youngsters and young adults with the highest risk of gang involvement, currently has six outreach workers working with as many as 10 clients each at a time.

Clegg said of Stockton’s 320,000 population, about 18,000 are involved in criminal activity or the criminal justice system.

Of that 18,000, about 320 are high-risk offenders, he said.

“So you have less than 1 percent of the city’s population, or 1 percent of the criminal population doing 70 percent to 80 percent of the violence in the community,” he said.

Clegg said 89 percent of the OVP’s clients are considered high risk, and another 7 percent are known to be associated with high-risk potential offenders.

“We carry (the 7 percent) in the caseloads because they are on the borderline and we want to keep them from becoming high risk,” he said.

Clegg said 82 percent of OVP clients have been shot at, while 40 percent have actually suffered injuries related to gun violence.

In addition, 71 percent of clients are affiliated with gangs, he said.

A typical OVP client is 26 to 28 years old, a high school dropout and affiliated with gangs. They have also been shot at or shot, Clegg said.

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