Stockton Part Of Nationwide Study Examining Police-Community Relationship

Stockton is the only city in California, and one of only six nationwide to take part in a three-year study by the US Department of Justice. The study, called the National Initiative for Building Community Trust and Justice, will examine relations between police and the communities they serve.

Stockton Police Chief Eric Jones says there are many more issues in the study than officer-involved shootings.

"Just look at the most recent one we had where our officers were actually under fire by a gunman," says Jones.  "So we have to look at the circumstances that are going on in our city not just the police actions but the citizens' actions, the community, and having dialogue so that we're open to all of the different perspectives that are going on."

Jones says a grant of nearly $5 million will fund the research by law enforcement experts from UCLA, Yale, and the John Jay College of Criminal Justice.