SAN ANTONIO — A ballot initiative that could bring sweeping reform to the way San Antonio Police officers are disciplined might be headed to voters.
On Friday, a coalition of community groups delivered petitions to the city clerk's office, saying they had more than enough verified registered voters to place the matter on the May ballot.
James Dykman, with the group FIX SAPD, said "the city clerk's office has 20 days to certify the signatures, enabling the initiative to be placed on the May 2021 ballot."
The group and others working with them are trying to repeal Chapter 174 of the local government code, as it applies to civil service rules involving police officers.
They say because of contract provisions, it is too hard to discipline officers who violate department policies.
"FIX SAPD is getting rid of the barriers that shield bad police officers and protect them from the consequences of their misconduct. This is about accountability for the police, not getting rid of them," Dykman said.
Citing incidents of disciplinary actions and firings being overturned, the group believes stronger safeguards are necessary.
"No one wants bad cops on the force," Dykman said. "Bad police officers are a threat to everyone, including good officers, and they cannot be exempt from the responsibility of their actions.
"Current and future police reform initiatives can only be successful if there are clear and final consequences for misconduct and what legislators and city council members have been unable to do in sessions, San Antonio voters will have a chance to achieve locally by a referendum and a vote."
The president of the San Antonio Police Officers Association responded to news of the signatures being delivered by saying his group will try to halt the process.
"We believe that a great number of these signatures have been collected fraudulently or under false pretenses," Mike Helle said.
Helle said his group has received numerous complaints about the tactics of those working to gather signatures.
"It's certainly within their right to collect signatures, but we feel like the majority of them have been gathered fraudulently and we encourage any citizen to contact the city clerk's office and they can have their name removed from the petition if they choose to do so," Helle said.
Helle said he has video and audio that back up his claims of overzealous workers misrepresenting themselves and their cause, and SAPOA is researching what they might be able to do with the material.
"We are in the process to determine whether or not there is any injunction that can be filed or any other kind of criminality to this and we are in the process of looking into that."
The Texas Organizing Project, or TOP, has been helping with the campaign to gather signatures.
Volunteer Paula Maria Naranjo said she is proud of the work she and other community members have done to get to this point. Naranjo urged anyone concerned with accountability issues to get involved in the effort.
"We back our wonderful police officers. All we ask is to be able to have the peace of mind of knowing that every single person is held accountable, as individuals," she said. "The beautiful thing about San Antonio is that when we love, we love hard. So let's love one another by signing our petition."
Dorothy Wallace said she cofounded the BLAC volunteer organization, which stands for "Black Lives and Allies in Community."
Wallace bristled at allegations by SAPOA that the petition drive is being championed by people from out of state. Wallace said she and her friends, who all live in San Antonio, became involved in the movement over the summer.
"A lot of hard work and energy went into this, particularly during the early voting period. We support police but we want our police to be held accountable if there is any wrongdoing," Wallace said.
Ananda Tomas, deputy director for FIX SAPD, urged citizens to learn more about the campaign for reform between now and Election Day.
"This is a grassroots campaign and we are up against big money and interests," Tomas said. "What we are trying to do here is unprecedented. It has never happened before. This means San Antonio has the ability, the chance right now to lay the framework for change, for police reform and police accountability."
In response to the filing, the City of San Antonio released the following statement from City Clerk Tina Flores:
"Today the City Clerk's Office received signatures for a petition asking San Antonio voters to repeal collective bargaining rights for San Antonio Police Officers under Chapter 174 of the Texas Local Government Code. The signatures were submitted by FixSAPD.
"By City Charter, the Clerk has 20 business days to verify signatures or advise the petitioners of any deficiencies in meeting the threshold number for City Council to place the item on the May 2021 ballot. The City Clerk's 20th business day will occur on February 8, 2021.
"If the validated signatures meet the threshold, then the item will be on the February 11, 2021 City Council Agenda. The Council vote to place the item on the May 2021 election ballot is a ministerial act and the Council has no discretion if the signatures are validated."
Both the coalition and SAPOA promise to engage in extensive campaigns to educate voters in the coming months. You can find out more about the petition here.