Homicides down, car thefts up in San Antonio crime report

• The police department submitted the numbers to the FBI, which has yet to officially sanction the report, McManus said.

By the numbers: There were 165 homicides in San Antonio last year, a 28.6% drop from the 231 homicides in 2022, McManus told the Public Safety Committee.

• Human trafficking dropped 12.5%, assaults by 9.4% and sex offenses by about 30.9%.

Meanwhile, motor vehicle thefts rose by about 53% — from 12,551 in 2022 to 19,225 in 2023.

The big picture: The trends in San Antonio mirror national changes.

• The U.S. saw one of its largest annual drops in homicides in 2023, while motor vehicle thefts rose.

Flashback: San Antonio began a new hot spot policing effort early in 2023, the first phase in a violent crime reduction plan commissioned by the University of Texas at San Antonio.

What's next: The second phase of the plan is now underway. It's focused on addressing the root causes of crime, from poor lighting to code violations.