Stockton Deputy Police Chief Anabel Morris, who earlier this year became the first Latina to hold the rank in the department’s history, was named the 2026 Woman of the Year for California’s 5th Senate District on Thursday.
State Sen. Jerry McNerney presented Morris with the award at his Stockton district office, citing her 25-year law enforcement career and her work to build trust between police and residents, mentor young people and strengthen community relationships.
McNerney described Morris as a “true trailblazer,” calling it an honor to present her with the woman of the year award.
“Deputy Chief Morris exemplifies the best of local law enforcement, working passionately throughout her impressive career to foster trust between the community and police, inspire local youth, and make Stockton safer,” the state senator said in a statement.
Morris credited the recognition to those who have supported her.
“From migrant housing to deputy chief, my rise was powered by the people who believed in me — their faith turned my beginnings into momentum,” Morris said in the statement.
Morris was raised in migrant housing communities in Planada, just east of Merced. Her parents worked in agriculture six days a week, leaving Morris and her siblings to prepare themselves for school and catch the bus each morning, she previously told Stocktonia.
“We didn’t feel … that we were poor,” Morris said in a recent Stocktonia profile. “We had what we needed. We had clothes on our backs.”
Before becoming a police officer, Morris worked as an ambulance dispatcher in Merced and later in Stockton. She joined the Stockton Police Department as a trainee in 2001 and went on to serve as a patrol officer, community police officer, field training officer and school resource officer. She also served on the department’s recruiting unit and crisis negotiations team.
Morris was promoted to sergeant in 2016, lieutenant in 2021, and then captain in January 2025. She became deputy chief in the beginning of March and now oversees the department’s Community Relations and Logistics Bureau.
Her work on the crisis negotiations team drew on skills she developed throughout her life, including growing up in a Spanish-speaking household. Morris told Stocktonia that communicating with people in crisis can help officers resolve dangerous situations without using physical force.
She has also described resilience as an important part of her rise through a profession historically dominated by men. During the police academy, Morris said she trained beyond the minimum physical requirements so she would be prepared to meet the same standards as her male colleagues.
Morris also worked overnight shifts for nearly a decade so she could spend more time during the day with her two daughters. She waited until her youngest daughter reached junior high school before pursuing additional promotions, she’s previously said.
“You know, we say, ‘lLife isn’t fair,’ (but) there’s a lot of things we can do to help ourselves and prepare,” Morris told Stocktonia. “As long as you are resilient and you fight, you find that within yourself to keep going.”