Gilbert Moore, a spokesman for the Department of Justice’s Office of Community Policing, said this afternoon that the office limited agencies with a sworn force of more than 1,000 police officers to no more than 50 positions funded. The office, which is distributing $1 billion in stimulus money nationwide to retain or rehire officers who otherwise would be laid off, limited smaller agencies such as Stockton to no more than 5 percent of the total sworn force, he said.
That is how Stockton came in an e-mail Wednesday to have its request capped at 20 officers, if any.
A decision is expected to be made in July, Moore said.
More to follow.