One important thing the chief wants folks to know is that if a neighbor sees something, they should call 311 or SAPD non-emergency and report it.
SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio Police Chief William McManus briefs City of San Antonio City Council’s Public Safety Committee on crime data over the last year on Tuesday.
We did some digging and found police data published by the city that covers crime stats from January of last year to October, and we found the rate of murders and violent assaults are down, but the number of stolen vehicles has skyrocketed up 6,000 from the same time last year.
The chief talked about crimes described in three separate categories:
- Crimes against persons – murders, assaults, and sex offenses
- Crimes against property – arson, burglary, theft & fraud
- Crimes against society – animal cruelty, gambling, and drug crimes
The chief compared 2023 data to the year before, and discussed what factors have influenced criminal activity.
Chief McManus briefs City Council on 2023 crime data Tuesday
According to Chief McManus, crimes against person are down by -9.6%, against society are down just slightly by -2.2% and crimes against property are up by 6.6%.
“The good news is that violent crime statistics are down,” said Melissa Cabello Havrda, Councilman District 6. “While the numbers are encouraging, they are not much solace to the victims of crime.”
Overall, violent crimes like assault and homicide have decreased in San Antonio. In 2022, we had 34,374 assaults reported and in 2023, that number decreased to 31,126. San Antonio saw 231 homicides in 2022, and in 2023 there were 165.
According to police, arguments were the contributing factor that lead to most homicides in both 2022 and 2023.
The chief also talked about the new programs and initiatives that have been added to combat crime.
One important thing the chief said was that if a neighbor sees something, they should call 311 or SAPD non-emergency and report it.
City Council asked about the uptick in mail theft in San Antonio and what can be done to prevent it.
“The penalty for mail theft is not enough to deter anybody from doing it,” said Chief McManus.
According to Chief McManus, there has been a 6.6% increase in stolen property compared to last year. Most of these crimes are what police called “crimes of opportunity where the victim is an easy target.”
In 2023, SAPD received over 2.4 million calls for service. Their average response time for emergency calls was six minutes and 19 seconds. Non-emergency calls took slightly longer, averaging about twenty minutes and 20 seconds.
Chief McManus said you can access crime data by going to the SAPD website.
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