California city close to banning ski masks as it battles spike in robberies
Stockton's city council is considering a ban on ski masks after a string of crimes where suspects were wearing them. However, some advocates in the city are calling this a band-aid solution.
The legislative committee within the City of Stockton is unanimously moving forward with a ski mask ban ordinance that will soon be presented to the city council.
"This is a clear message that we don't have snow, we don't have ski lifts, we don't have a need to have a ski mask," said Vice Mayor Jason Lee.
Vice Mayor Lee is spearheading the ski mask ban. He says the new council is trying out new things to curb crime.
"We don't have the cure-all to crime, we know there's always going to be crime, but we have the obligation to put forth ideas to help alleviate the crime our community is exposed to," said Lee.
"We need more police force, more patrolling, everything little thing counts," echoed Stockton City Councilmember Michelle Padilla.
Padilla is also in support of the ordinance after two teenagers were robbed at gunpoint by suspects in a ski mask in her district.
"If it's just this little mask ordinance," she said. "At least we're trying, we can say we did something rather than nothing."
A graph from Stockton shows the number of robberies where the suspect was wearing any kind of mask or face covering, not just a ski mask.
Stockton saw more than 227 robberies where the suspect was wearing a mask or face covering in 2024. But this year, month by month, those numbers are going down -- with just 11 reported in May.
"We had 10 less last year, 5 less last year. One death is too much. There's no value to one death or ten deaths, they're all priceless. When I think about the trends, yes, our police department is doing a phenomenal job," said Lee.
Lee attributes the drop to police officers going after suspects. He says the stats show a trend, but if it's happening, he wants to stop it.
"But if we look at the stats, how many 8th graders were robbed at gunpoint with a ski mask during a graduation last year? Probably zero, but it doesn't matter because it happened this year. I wasn't here last year, I'm here now, and I'm going to work on a solution," he said.
The ordinance does have to be refined with stats from the Stockton Police Department and with a clear purpose and instructions for officers to enforce the ordinance.
"The enforcement comes with challenges. We have to make sure our officers are trained, what the boundaries are and what the religious implications are for face coverings," Lee said.
It will be a little bit of time before the ordinance is presented to the council. It will need a majority vote to pass.
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