SAN ANTONIO — As Uvalde approaches the two-year mark of mourning the 21 people killed by a shooter at Robb Elementary, one San Antonio leaders wants City Council to discuss what more can be done to prevent mass shootings in the Alamo City.
At Tuesday's Public Safety Committee meeting, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus ran through what his department has done to prepare for an active threat, such as an active shooter situation.
"None of it really has to do with response," McManus said about evaluating his department's preparedness levels in accordance with Councilman Manny Pelaez's request. "(It's about) the physical security and identification of – and reaction to – individuals who are potential threats."
The chief said that after the Robb Elementary shooting on May 24, 2022, he met with police chiefs at districts across San Antonio to make sure schools were doing all they could to prevent an active shooter. That means making sure doors are locked from the outside, ensuring people can't just walk in on a whim. It also means making sure the first responders on scene take command before SAPD eventually takes over that role.
Security has improved since Uvalde, McManus said.
In addition to preventing shootings, the chief says SAPD is constantly looking for threats and the types of behavior indicating a possible threat. The department is also notified when people buy multiple guns.
McManus explained that threats, even those found on social media, are taken extremely seriously and can lead to arrests; the San Antonio area has seen multiple such arrests in the months since the Robb Elementary tragedy. The city has also invested funding into Metro Health to make sure mental health is addressed.
"We can have reaction plans all we want, but we need to focus on the prevention part of it," Councilwoman Sukh Kaur said.
Pelaez, who submitted the Council Consideration Request last year to discuss prevention efforts, wants a more proactive approach and is looking for ways that City Council can be more involved in prevention. That's something other council members on Tuesday emphasized is a priority for them.
"SAPD's role is inherently not preventative in nature; it's responsive in nature," said Jalen McKee-Rodriguez, the representative for District 2. "So when we want to prevent crime... we do have to look for opportunities to prevent."
No action was taken Tuesday on the matter, but City Council plans to discuss the topic of preventing mass shooters further, including what they can possibly do to help in the future.
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