DEPARTMENT: Police Department
DEPARTMENT HEAD: William P. McManus, Chief of Police
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: City Wide
SUBJECT: SAPD Quarterly Update
SUMMARY:
In 2016, cities across the nation experienced a significant increase in crime. While there has been no consensus with respect to the factors that contributed to this increase, over the last year, the San Antonio Police Department has implemented several initiatives, in coordination with local, State and Federal law enforcement agencies, to intensify its efforts to proactively identify and address crime throughout the City.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Violent Crimes Taskforce
In January 2017, the SAPD introduced the Violent Crimes Taskforce (VCTF) which is an intelligence-driven, multi-agency taskforce that will focus on individuals engaged in criminal activity rather than specific geographic areas. In addition to our local, State and Federal partners, this Initiative is also comprised of all SAPD Covert units to promote synergy and ensure that all SAPD resources are dedicated to proactively reducing crime. The results achieved through April 7, 2017, are detailed in the table below:
Persons Arrested
1,140
Felony Warrants
533
Felony Charges
579
Narcotics Charges
508
Firearms Recovered
185
Gang Members Arrested
125
Field Contacts
1,010
Drugs Seized (grams)
77,293.24 g
Currency Seized
$308,768.00
Stolen Vehicles Recovered
30
The Street Crimes Unit (SCU), in particular, has played a prominent role within the VCTF and is responsible for many of the arrests that have been made to date as part of this initiative. The arrests made by the SCU through this Initiative represent a 85% increase compared to the 615 arrests made by the Unit in 2016, through April 7.
The increased activity represented by the VCTF coincides with the continued decrease in formal, line and use of force complaints against the Department since 2015. As of April 7, there has been a 35% decrease in complaints against t...
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