Metropolis officers are divided on how greatest to make San Antonio safer: add dozens extra cops within the subsequent finances cycle, or put money into different methods to scale back demand on patrol.
The talk stems from a five-year plan, launched in April 2023, to shift the San Antonio Police Division towards spending 60% of its time on proactive patrols and 40% responding to calls.
Within the plan, town set a purpose of including 360 patrol officers by 2029. To this point, 165 have been employed.
The proposed 2026 finances units apart $1.4 million to fund 25 new patrol officers. However some council members say that quantity falls quick, pushing as a substitute for 65 officers.
In accordance with figures offered by Police Chief William McManus and Metropolis Supervisor Erik Walsh at a finances city corridor on Tuesday, including extra officers would value a further $2.1 million within the first yr and $5.9 million within the second.
District 3 Councilwoman Phyllis Viagran pressed Deputy Metropolis Supervisor María Villagómez on whether or not exterior funding may assist cowl extra officers.
Villagómez stated town has utilized for a federal COPS grant for 25 officers, although that will offset the present finances proposal moderately than add to it, and would solely cowl three years earlier than town would assume the complete value. She stated she was not conscious of any state packages that may very well be used to fund new positions.
That uncertainty fueled calls from different council members, together with District 10 Councilman Marc Whyte, who argued town ought to commit native {dollars} now to make sure San Antonio hires 65 officers this yr, pointing to the police division’s personal information displaying that including extra officers would pace progress towards the 60-40 patrol purpose.
SAPD reviews its patrol officers at present spend 49% of its time on proactive patrols and 51% on responding to calls.
“I agree with Councilwoman Viagran on her total strategy to, let’s do what we will to discover a strategy to fund extra officers,” Whyte stated. “… if public security is our primary precedence, I don’t perceive why we didn’t begin on this finances with the funding for the 65 officers, after which construct all the pieces else round it.”
However some council members say including extra officers isn’t the one strategy to attain the 60-40 purpose.
District 4 Councilmember Edward Mungia pointed to town’s proactive packages, just like the San Antonio Concern Free Surroundings (SAFFE) unit and Group Outreach and Resiliency Effort (C.O.R.E.) as one other strategy to transfer nearer to the 60-40 purpose.
“Most of us are extra conversant in the work of SAFFE and what they do — that kind of proactive work actually addresses power neighborhood points tied to single properties, and I feel that’s very worthwhile,” Mungia stated. “Specialised items just like the C.O.R.E. groups and SAFFE assist scale back calls that go to patrol. So why wouldn’t we take a look at additions to these explicit items as one other strategy to attain the 60-40 purpose?”
As of Aug. 15, SAPD had 40 officer vacancies, in accordance with Assistant Director Rick Riley, a quantity he stated may shift barely this week as retirements are finalized.
Council members are anticipated to proceed debating the extra patrol officers as they assessment the proposed 2026 finances forward of a ultimate vote on Sept. 19.
