The Stockton Police Officers’ Association says political turmoil at City Hall is pulling officers away from regular assignments and creating conditions that could threaten the stability of the Police Department.
In a lengthy Facebook statement, SPOA said officers have been assigned to security details, escorts, City Council meetings and investigations stemming from disputes involving city officials, leaving fewer officers available for regular police work.
The association has publicly criticized city leaders before, including during labor and staffing disputes. But the latest statement is unusually broad, extending beyond police working conditions to criticize the council’s political divisions, personnel decisions, city projects, police oversight and what the union described as potential political interference in future department leadership.
“We will not allow political agendas or City Hall drama to define the work of our officers,” SPOA wrote. “SPOA knows who runs the Police Department. It would be nice if we knew who runs the City.”
The association also raised concerns about political interference in Police Department leadership and oversight and pointed to what it called the City Council’s “current 4-3 political split,” but did not identify individual councilmembers or provide dates, police reports, staffing figures or overtime costs supporting several of its claims.
The statement comes less than three months after the San Joaquin County Civil Grand Jury concluded that public infighting, leadership instability and interference with city staff had weakened Stockton’s government. The grand jury described repeated contentious meetings and 4-3 votes, though the same councilmembers did not consistently make up either side of those votes.
Stocktonia reached out Tuesday to SPOA President Sgt. Patrick High and the association seeking additional information and documentation related to the incidents described in the statement.
Councilmembers Michael Blower, Jason Lee and Brando Villapudua declined to comment on the SPOA statement.
Mayor Christina Fugazi and councilmembers Mario Enríquez, Michele Padilla and Mariela Ponce did not respond by deadline.
City spokespersob Tony Mannor also declined to comment.
SPOA says officers are being pulled from regular duties
SPOA said officers have increasingly been used for security and other assignments connected to disputes at City Hall.
The association said officers have been required to stand in hallways, back rooms, committee meetings and council chambers, while other security measures have included metal detectors and explosive sweeps using police dogs.
“Every officer pulled into the fray is an officer who is not on the street answering calls, preventing crime, and serving the public,” the association wrote.
SPOA also alleged that marked police units were requested to follow former city employees home because of fears that a councilmember might orchestrate an assault against them.
The association did not identify the former employees, the councilmember, who requested the police presence or when the incident occurred.
Stocktonia has not independently verified the allegation.
The statement also broadly referenced personnel lawsuits, city development decisions, relationships between officials and outside individuals and public works projects without naming the people, cases or projects involved.
“The revolving door is not leadership,” SPOA wrote. “It is not accountability. It is bad government.”
Grand jury previously documented City Hall dysfunction
Some of SPOA’s broader concerns resemble problems identified in the 2025-26 San Joaquin County Civil Grand Jury report, “Governance in Turmoil.”
Released in June, the report found public conflict among councilmembers had damaged trust in city government and that frequent disagreements and contentious meetings were affecting the council’s ability to govern.
The grand jury also found that councilmembers interfered with city staff despite Stockton’s council-manager form of government, under which elected officials generally work through the city manager rather than directing employees themselves.
Leadership instability contributed to uncertainty within city departments, low employee morale and the departure of experienced employees, the grand jury found.
The report did not blame individual councilmembers for its nine findings and instead addressed the actions of the council collectively. It also cited repeated 4-3 votes while noting the division did not always involve the same councilmembers.
SPOA similarly referred to a “current 4-3 political split” but did not identify which councilmembers it considers part of either side.
The grand jury recommended additional training on Stockton’s charter, ethics and the boundaries between councilmembers and city employees, along with other changes intended to address the city’s governance problems. The City Council is required to formally respond to the report by Sept. 23.
Flock allegation follows Lee’s council comments
SPOA also addressed an allegation involving an officer’s use of Stockton’s Flock camera system, one week after Lee raised the issue publicly during a Sept. 1 City Council meeting.
During council comments, Lee said he had received a letter alleging that a Stockton police officer used the Flock system to stalk his girlfriend. Lee did not identify the officer or the author of the letter and did not provide additional evidence supporting the allegation during the meeting.
Lee said he understood the Police Department had taken “necessary action” but questioned why information about the allegation had not been publicly released.
“I didn’t see a press release about that either,” Lee said.
Lee said he had supported the Police Department publicly and privately but was concerned about what he described as the containment of information. He asked that Flock be included in a public safety discussion the council had previously requested.
SPOA did not name Lee in its statement.
“In terms of an accusation made about impropriety by an officer and their use of Flock cameras, that will be thoroughly investigated,” the association wrote.
SPOA said it would not defend an officer if illegal conduct were substantiated but argued that personnel matters should not be addressed publicly before an investigation is completed.
The association did not identify the officer, disclose the status of an investigation or say what action, if any, the Police Department has taken.
The council voted 7-0 in March to approve a $3.15 million expansion of the city’s Flock agreement, including six drones as part of a Drone as First Responder program. The amendment extended the agreement through April 2031 and brought its potential value to more than $5.4 million.
The unanimous vote came after more than an hour of public opposition, with residents raising concerns about privacy, government surveillance, immigration enforcement and how Flock data could be shared. Similar concerns resurfaced at an August City Council meeting, when residents again questioned the city’s use of the technology and called for greater transparency and oversight.
Police Chief Stanley McFadden has defended the technology as a tool for solving robberies, carjackings and other violent crimes, describing it earlier this year as a “force multiplier” for a department with limited staffing.
Union warns against political interference in Police Department
SPOA also raised concerns about the future of Police Department leadership.
The association said it was concerned a future police chief or other department leaders could be selected based on political loyalty rather than professional qualifications.
“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,” SPOA wrote.
The statement did not explain why the association anticipates the selection of a new police chief or identify an effort underway to remove McFadden.
McFadden remains Stockton’s police chief.
SPOA also criticized what it described as an effort to create an “unregulated board of political cronies” to oversee the Police Department, but did not identify a specific proposal or the individuals it was referring to.
The union said officers should not be used to advance political disputes or fulfill promises made to individual supporters.
“Judge us by our actions not by the accusations, distractions, and political theater coming out of City Hall,” SPOA wrote.