SAN ANTONIO — A virtual town hall is being held Tuesday night to give citizens a chance to weigh in on police services. According to city leaders, they’re looking for the public’s feedback on a variety of law enforcement angles.
They’re hoping to learn more specifically about the “community’s expectations of the role of police in the community, as well as response alternatives for responding to potential calls for service.”
Any San Antonio resident can participate online or by phone. The meeting will run from 6 to 7:30 p.m. and it’s one of several meetings scheduled to take place during April and May. Last week the first meeting was held.
The virtual district-specific input meetings are being held in collaboration with each of the city’s 10 council districts. In the election earlier this month, Proposition B narrowly failed, which would have stripped the San Antonio police union's collective bargaining rights.
In a press release, the city said: “The goal of these meetings is to gather feedback on the community’s expectations of interactions with SAPD and alternative response to certain 911 calls.”
The meeting will allow opportunities to ask questions. City Manager Erik Walsh, Deputy City Manager Maria Villagomez, Assistant City Manager Dr. Colleen Bridger and San Antonio Police Chief William McManus are all listed as participants.
To participate by Zoom, go to this site.
Planning to call in? You must pre-register to participate. Registration for connecting by phone closes at 3 p.m. and residents will receive a call back when it’s time to start the meeting. Here’s the link to sign up.
This review process centers around addressing foundational issues, community expectations of interactions with police, community input and response alternatives. This Thursday, the City of San Antonio will host the second of several city-wide community discussions to gather public input.
Residents can also watch live by tuning into TVSA channels: AT&T channel 99, Grande channel 20, Spectrum channel 21, digital antenna 16 or the city’s Facebook page. Spanish and American Sign Language interpretation will be provided.
In addition to the virtual community meetings, the city will also host a series of city-wide virtual community discussions, telephone town hall meetings, a dedicated event for Spanish speakers and a series of meetings with local stakeholder groups.
To learn more about SAPD’s services review process, click here.