SAN ANTONIO — The battle over the billboards.
There are new signs up in San Antonio regarding your safety. One reads quote: 'Only three DWI deputies for all Bexar County: Feel safe?' Lots of eyeballs are looking up at the three billboards across the city, with different messages.
The Deputy Sheriff's Association of Bexar County is behind them. President of the association, Jeremy Payne, said he is calling out the ongoing poor policy decisions from Sheriff Javier Salazar.
"These have been highly effective in gaining the community's attention," Payne said. It is not to incite fear. It is to educate the community."
Another billboard in the Alamo Ranch area says: 'Only one deputy assigned to patrol all Alamo Ranch. Feel safe?'
Another reads: 'Only one deputy assigned to this area at night. Where is your backup?'
"We've got deputies out there in very dangerous situations," Payne said. Where they don't have a lot of people. They don't have a lot of back up for themselves. Officers and deputies in the community are jeopardized every day when you only have one guy watching 50,000 to 100,000 people in an area."
Payne said this topic is not anything new and is something he has been highlighting for the last three years.
"It is a problem in the jail," he said. It is a problem in the streets."
However, Sheriff Salazar said the billboards paint an unfair picture to the community, and are not true.
"It is misplaced enthusiasm on their part," he said. "And bad information. There is no shortage of boots on the ground in this area and really all over the county."
As the sheriff sees it, the association should focus their efforts elsewhere.
"Take the money they are wasting on senseless billboards and help us with our recruitment efforts," he said.
The sheriff said despite the billboards they will continue full speed ahead on their recruitment efforts.
"It is counterproductive to the mission," he said. It is a disservice to the community. It certainly does a disservice to our deputies who are out working hard."
The billboards just went up on Tuesday and are expected to be up for a month. Payne said he doesn't plan to add more.
BCSO also told KENS 5 assignments vary with Traffic/DWI deputies and is dependent on where the need is. BCSO went on to say that although they can work anywhere in Bexar County, IH35 and O Connor is in city and primarily patrolled by SAPD.
They report, at this time, there are three DWI deputies in Traffic. And 165 deputies are assigned to patrol on East and West patrol. They said of those deputies all are trained and certified to enforce DWI laws.