Stockton hopes to curb gun, gang violence through monetary incentives

Stockton is moving forward with a million-dollar effort to reduce shootings by training and paying suspected violent offenders to put down their weapons and make something of their lives.

Council members voted 6-1 in favor of the program, which promises to decrease gun violence, after a heated public comment session during Tuesday's city council meeting.

The program is called Advance Peace and aims to curb gang violence in the city. Program leaders will recruit 50 Stockton residents who have been identified as at a high risk to commit crime.

The same program was adopted by Sacramento in August.

Here are five things to know about Stockton’s new agreement with Advance Peace:

1) Taxpayers won’t pay a dime for it.

Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs was able to recruit funding from four philanthropic organizations to cover the cost.

FILE-- Stockton is moving forward with a million-dollar effort to reduce shootings by training and paying suspected violent offenders to put down their weapons and make something of their lives. FILE-- Stockton is moving forward with a million-dollar effort to reduce shootings by training and paying suspected violent offenders to put down their weapons and make something of their lives. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Image 1 of / 28 Caption Close Stockton hopes to curb gun, gang violence through monetary incentives 1 / 28 Back to Gallery

2) The program targets Stockton's gun violence problem.

The number of people killed in shootings within the city may be going down, but gun violence is as bad as it was in 2012.

55 people were killed in 2017

49 were killed in 2016, 2015, 2014

32 were killed in 2013

71 were killed in 2012

The Advance Peace program is designed to work with people in the city who have been identified as most at risk to commit gun violence.

3) Participants will be eligible for up to $1,000 a month.

The program lasts 18 months. After the first six months, participants who reach certain benchmarks will receive financial incentives to stay on track.

4) Stockton police are not taking a stance on the program.

Stockton police spokesperson Joe Silva released the following statement on the Advance Peace program:

“We are always looking for best practices to help with our gun violence reduction strategies. While this is not a Police Department program, we look forward to seeing the research behind this type of program.”

5) Advance Peace vows to create a major reduction in gun violence.

The program promises to achieve a 50 percent reduction in the number of shootings over four years.