BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — The Bakersfield Police Department reported a 17% decrease in use-of-force incidents in 2025, marking the lowest total in five years, according to its latest annual review.
The department recorded 457 use-of-force incidents in 2025, down from 551 in 2024. Over a five-year period, the numbers have fluctuated, but the latest report shows a continued downward trend following a smaller decline the year prior.
Only three incidents involved deadly force in 2025, unchanged from the previous year and representing less than 1% of all cases.
In the report, police officials said the reduction reflects a continued shift toward lower-level force and deescalation strategies. In 2025, about 76% of incidents involved controlling force, such as control holds or restraints, while intermediate force made up about 23%.
The report also shows that use-of-force incidents most commonly occurred during calls for service, accounting for about 70% of cases, with self-initiated activity and traffic stops making up smaller portions.
Despite the progress, community leaders and oversight members say the work is far from over.
Kathleen Stiles, a member of the department’s Community Advisory Panel since its formation following a Department of Justice settlement in 2021, said early efforts to work with police were difficult.
“At the beginning, it was very like pulling teeth, very hard to get real dialogue,” Stiles said. “It took a long, long time. But eventually … we have to hear negative things as well as positive things.”
Stiles, who has been involved in community policing efforts since before the panel was created, said much of the group’s work has focused on shaping department policies, particularly around use of force.
However, she said improving policies is only part of the challenge.
“Numbers and changing numbers is one thing, but trust is relationships, and it’s so hard to rebuild,” she said.
City Councilmember Eric Arias echoed that sentiment, saying rebuilding trust between the department and the community will take time.
“I think that it’s going to continue to take time,” Arias said. “I think that the Bakersfield Police Department for better or for worse, has a troubled history that we have to. counteract, and I think we've been doing that work for the past four to five years."
The report also noted a rise in assaultive resistance — defined as aggressive or combative behavior toward officers — even as overall use-of-force incidents declined.
At the same time, lower-level force incidents, while still making up the majority of cases, decreased overall from the previous year. The shift suggests officers are increasingly relying on deescalation techniques and control-based responses rather than higher levels of force.
Arias said those trends reflect years of effort within the department to improve policing practices.
“Over the past several years, our Bakersfield Police Department has been working overtime, trying to make sure that the policing that we are providing to this community is the best possible policing,” he said.
Still, Stiles said many residents have yet to feel those improvements.
“We still hear about so many of the same things,” she said, adding that stronger communication between officers and community members is key. “Building the trust has to do with professionalism and how you treat community members.”
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