DEPARTMENT: Police Department
DEPARTMENT HEAD: William P. McManus, Chief of Police
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: City Wide
SUBJECT:
Violent Crimes Task Force Update
SUMMARY:
On January 9, 2017, the San Antonio Police Department initiated the Violent Crimes Task Force (VCTF) which is a proactive, multi-agency unit comprised of SAPD Covert Units, the Street Crimes Unit, SWAT and Fusion Center personnel as well as various local, State and Federal law enforcement agencies designed to effectively reduce crime throughout San Antonio. The VCTF is an intelligence-driven initiative that will strategically focus on identifying and apprehending known criminals who are responsible for a significant share of the illegal activity that ultimately culminates in violent crimes that impact quality of life.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Since its inception, the VCTF has made considerable progress in disrupting criminal activity throughout the City as evidenced by the results achieved through October 13, 2017:
Persons Arrested
4,020
Felony Warrants
1,714
Felony Charges
2,102
Narcotics Charges
1,682
Firearms Recovered
664
Gang Members Arrested
446
Field Contacts
4,588
Drugs Seized (grams)
244,449 g
Currency Seized
$1,059,954.45
Stolen Vehicles Recovered
45
Further evidence of the impact of the VCTF in reducing violent crime is the significant decrease in murders associated with gang and drug violence:
Factor
2016 YTD
2017 YTD
% Change
Gang
19|1010|-63.2%
Gang & Narcotics
10|1010|-70.0%
Narcotics
19|10 10|-52.6%
The Street Crimes Unit accounts for a majority of the arrests that have been made by the VCTF which has resulted in a 101% increase year-to-date in arrests made by the Street Crimes Unit in comparison to 2016.
In an effort to enhance the impact of the Street Crimes Unit, 14 additional officers were assigned to the Unit as a FY 2017 mid-year budget improvement utilizing the $1,042,123 allocated through the FY 17 Adopted Budget as a required match fo...
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