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Fire, police detail hiring, dispatch and grant plans as Stockton shapes FY26–27 public‑safety budget
Summary
Fire Chief Brian Carr and the Police Chief presented staffing plans, recruitment strategies and grant opportunities tied to the FY26–27 proposal. Fire seeks wellness investments and dispatch expansion; police are relying on outside funding and recruitment pipelines to restore sworn ranks.
Fire Chief Brian Carr told the council the department’s proposed operating budget for FY26–27 is about $101.5 million, primarily to fully fund existing positions and accommodate several new hires, including dispatch staff and firefighters funded in part by partner districts.
"Our annual proposed operating budget for 2627 proposed is 101,500,000," Chief Carr said, citing added dispatch positions and a planned increase in staffed firefighter shifts if recruitment succeeds. He described a range of grant opportunities — from a SAFER/AFG application window to a Safe Streets for All planning grant that could translate into a larger implementation award.
Carr also described a multi‑front recruitment push: local high‑school outreach, an upcoming July recruitment drive, a CTE partnership with Stockton Unified and a restart of the fire explorer and auxiliary programs. He flagged a retention challenge most acute in the three‑to‑seven‑year tenure window and recommended both local recruitment and wellness programs to reduce churn.
On policing, the Police Chief reported declines in several crime metrics year‑over‑year, a heavy reliance on external revenue streams and significant savings tied to regional task‑force partnerships. The police presentation listed roughly $20 million in external revenues anticipated for FY26–27 (Measure W, grants, contracts and asset‑seizure funds) and emphasized the department’s police‑aid program as a pipeline for future sworn officers.
Council questions focused on whether human‑resources and HR/Hiring processes could be accelerated to reduce hiring lags and on how annuitant (retired officer) hires and grant‑funded positions will be managed in the personnel budget.
Why this matters: Public‑safety staffing and the success of grant applications will determine whether Stockton fills vacancies, sustains dispatch operations and maintains planned response capacity across the city.
