City leaders provide update on approach to crime - mySanAntonio.com

As of March 24, the Violent Crimes Task Force has arrested 977 people, 104 gang members and seized more than 61,000 grams of drugs and approximately $229,899, officials said Tuesday at a news conference touting the unit’s progress.

San Antonio Police Department Chief William McManus was joined by Mayor Ivy Taylor, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar, District Attorney Nico LaHood and other city officials and area law enforcement as he offered an update on the task force, which commenced operations in January.

“Over the last few years we’ve tracked an increase in crime throughout the county and San Antonio has not been immune to that increase,” McManus said.

The task force combines the efforts of SAPD officers, who are also partnering with local agencies to target violent crimes.

SAPD’s street crimes unit has been spearheading many of the arrests made by the task force, McManus said. Because of this, police are developing a proposal to add 15 more officers to the team to improve the unit’s efforts.

Salazar said occupancy of the Bexar County Adult Detention Center has risen significantly, but that there’s still room for future offenders.

Christopher Combs, FBI special agent in charge, said the bureau has been providing intelligence on area gangs to the task force.

“We provided intelligence packages on where we think the leadership is,” Combs said. “The FBI’s kind of going after the hierarchy of the violent crime.”

LaHood said a prosecutor is on call 24 hours a day to provide legal advice to law enforcement, including the task force, to make sure the law is followed during the prosecution process.

“These ... are violent individuals with significant criminal history. We no longer are targeting areas, we are targeting individuals,” LaHood said. “Our role is to assist the task force in preventing these individuals from victimizing our community again.”

Taylor said everyone should be encouraged by the progress made by the task force in addressing contributors leading to crime and that SAPD is maintaining an acceptable number of vacancies on the force.

“However ... we cannot simply police our way out of a crime issue, we have to innovate and take a community-based approach,” Taylor said.

She listed the Mayor’s Council on Police Community Relations, Group Violence Intervention and My Brother’s Keeper, which aims to improve life outcomes for young men and boys of color.

Combs said the FBI has also been trying to develop lines of communication with area residents, by speaking at open forums and even inviting community leaders to the FBI office to talk about use of force allegations and similar situations.

“You might find it strange to hear the FBI talking about community outreach, but I really think it’s one of the best things we’ve been able to do with this,” Combs said.

Combs said the multi-pronged approach targeting social issues and the majority of people causing crime is better than arrests alone.

“I’ve been all over the country and I do believe and I’ve seen that the partnerships in the city are exceptional,” Combs said. “It’s quite remarkable the situation you have here.”

jbeltran@express-news.net

Twitter: @JBfromSA

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