San Antonio begins new hot spot policing initiative
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San Antonio police have launched a new effort to reduce violent crime through so-called visible hot spot policing, just as similar tactics have come under scrutiny elsewhere.
Driving the news: Last year, the city contracted with the University of Texas at San Antonio to develop a plan aimed at reducing violent crime. City Council discussed the details of the plan Wednesday.
Why it matters: As San Antonio implements hot spot policing, the practice is in the spotlight nationally.
- The Memphis officers charged in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols were part of a unit charged with combating violent crime. Its officers also operated in areas considered crime hot spots, Axios' Shawna Chen writes. The city disbanded the unit after Nichols' death.
Yes, but: San Antonio's plan is different from the Memphis unit, police chief William McManus told reporters. In Memphis, officers often patrolled in unmarked police cars.
- "This has nothing to do with the kind of policing we saw in Memphis," McManus said.
What's happening: In San Antonio, officers sit in marked police cars in the identified hot spots. Their mere presence is meant to deter people from committing crimes, McManus said. They will only leave their cars if they see an emergency.
- Police began the hot spot policing at the beginning of the year. They are starting with 28 hot spots that UTSA identified by looking at where violent crime — homicides, aggravated assaults and robberies — occurs most.
By the numbers: San Antonio saw a 2.5% increase in violent crime in 2022 compared to 2021, McManus told City Council last month.
- Last year saw an increase of 70 homicides, but that number includes the 53 migrants who died in a sweltering tractor-trailer last summer.
Of note: Police also used a hot spot method last year. But the new effort differs in that it involves more data collection and analysis, McManus said.
- The city likely won't make the list of hot spots public.
Details: Hot spot policing is the first of three approaches in the plan.
- Another strategy is meant to target the underlying conditions that lead to violent crime. That could include reducing homelessness and open-air drug use or addressing poor lighting and code violations, per the plan.
- Another long-term approach focuses on connecting the people who commit violent crimes with community leaders and social services.
What they're saying: West Side Councilmember Teri Castillo voiced concerns about where the hot spots might be located.
- "My overall concern is the human collateral damage with hyper-concentrating police in lower-income communities of color," Castillo said.
The other side: "Hot spot policing is not a dirty word," Michael Smith, criminology and criminal justice professor at UTSA who helped develop the plan, told reporters. "Hot spot policing is probably the most effective strategy we have when done well."
What's next: The Police Department and UTSA will review the number of violent crimes committed every two to three months and update hot spots if needed. They plan quarterly briefings to City Council's Public Safety Committee.
- Police will host a series of community meetings this month to share the plan details.