SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio Police Chief William McManus briefed the 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. KENS 5 found that while the rate of murders and violent assaults are down, the number of stolen vehicles has skyrocketed, up 6,000 from the same time frame in 2022.
The chief talked about crimes described in three separate categories:
- Crimes against persons, including murders, assaults and sex offenses
- Crimes against property, including arson, burglary, theft and fraud
- Crimes against society, including 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%; crimes 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, who represents District 6 on City Council. “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, 34,374 assaults were reported in the city. In 2023, that number decreased to 31,126.
San Antonio saw 165 homicides in 2022, down from 231 in 2022.
According to police, arguments were the contributing factor that led 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. McManus noted that if a neighbor sees something, they should call 311 or the SAPD non-emergency number and report it.
City Council also 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 McManus, 2023 saw a 6.6% increase in stolen property compared to 2022. Most of these crimes are what police called "crimes of opportunity, where the victim is an easy target."
In 2023, SAPD received more than 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 20 minutes and 20 seconds.
Chief McManus said you can access crime data by going to the SAPD website.
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