SAN ANTONIO — By the number, the San Antonio Police Department had a total of 29,847 cases in 2020. Last year, the crime rise was evident because SAPD ended 2021 with 33,614 criminal incidents on record.
Two of the department's six substations accounted for 12,294 of those investigations: South and West patrols.
KENS 5 requested each substation's crime data from 2017 through the end of July.
On South patrol, aggravated assaults have more than doubled since the end of 2017---from 238 to 593. There were 417 cases at the end of this past July.
The police district also responds to the most family violence calls in the city. By 2019 on South, the case grew from 2,445 (2017) to 2,822. At the end of 2021, family violence ballooned to 3,117 investigations.
There were 257 sexual assault cases on South patrol last year, up from 212 in 2017. One hundred fifty-five were on file going into August this year.
In 2017, 36 murders ended the year for South patrol officers. That number dropped to 17 the very next year, increased to 31 in 2019, fell off to 24 in 2020, and inched back to 30 cases by the end of 2021. At the end of July 2022, 23 homicides were on the books.
Deadly conduct crimes continue to escalate each year. Robbery cases are down slightly.
The overall crime tally is 6,128 cases in 2021, while in 2017, police ended the year at 4,810.
Robberies are down slightly on San Antonio's West patrol too. Like South patrol, deadly conduct investigations have not stopped climbing since 2017.
Aggravated assaults went from 265 (2017) investigations to 569 (2022). Heading into August 2022, police counted 368 cases. Assault cases showed a minor increase but stood at 715 officer responses at the end of July.
Family violence in West patrol is the second highest in the city. Police responded to 3,117 calls last year.
West officers were assigned to 30 murders last year; the prior year, they had 13 and 22 at the end of July 2022.
Dan Rossiter is the president of the Thunderbird Hill Home Owner's Association. He said his members know the gun violence near and around them.
"They want to know they are not going to be at risk when they walk their dogs or drive around the neighborhood or surrounding areas," he said.
According to Rossiter, they work and talk with their SAPD SAFFE Officer on violent and petty crimes.
"They've been an integral part of ensuring that we have appropriate patrols throughout the neighborhood," he said. "They're focusing those patrols on problem areas."
He said hot spots for crime tend to migrate. SAPD, Rossiter said, translates their concerns into action---allocating staff to support their needs.
Rossiter said they are also talking with police to augment homeowner security by trying to evolve community policing.
"We need those officers out there making patrols addressing gun violence," he said. "But adding additional staff who can address other sorts of mental health concerns and that kind of thing---in addition to what's already being done."
He believes citizens will always have a greater public safety need than the city of San Antonio can fund.