SAN ANTONIO — New statistics show 2022 brought a rise in crime to San Antonio.
This week, SAPD presented its crime statistics from January through October, revealing a nearly 12% increase compared to the same timeframe last year. Those numbers were presented to the Public Safety Committee on Wednesday.
Police say the biggest driver of the trend is upticks in property crimes, although the homicide rate did go up as well.
Police leaders and community activists are both trying different strategies to prevent crime before it happens.
Steven Huerta has had hard conversations with many people around the city. He's the founder and executive director of the local chapter of All of Us or None, a group of men and women with criminal histories trying to improve the future.
“I don’t try and sugarcoat it,” he says. “I’ve been shot point-blank in the face, I’ve been hit, I’ve been in violence, I’ve sold drugs. I’ve done all kinds of crazy things, and (it's) because of that past I think we can help people make better decisions."
Huerta says the crime is still troubling him.
According to data from SAPD, property crimes increased 15%. Meanwhile, 210 homicides were reported between January and October.
“What we’re seeing is the spike in those homicides are really folks involved in risky behavior, whether its drug activity or gang activity,” SAPD Assistant Chief Karen Falks says, adding they are also seeing a lot of family violence.
Police say they are working to make improvements.
They presented data that shows their micro-hotspot initiative has brought down crimes in 60 hotspots. Those micro-hotspots are 500 meters x 500 meters, or about seven blocks in size. According to the data, there was a 52% reduction of crime in those areas.
Although a police presence is needed, Huerta says he wants to see balance with giving nonprofits the funding to intervene in crimes before they take place.
Huerta also says that it needs to be easier for former felons to reintegrate into society.
“When you enforce the law and they’ve paid their dues to the society, which we must do, you must restore that person to the whole,” he said. “You cannot expect us to come home and be successful if you have your foot in the doorway to success, take your foot off, start reducing these penalties, start reducing sentencing guidelines."
SAPD says it partnered with UTSA criminologists to develop crime reduction strategies, which they say will be rolled out starting in the new year.
As for the homicide stats, the increase jumped in part due to the 53 migrants who died in a tractor-trailer on the south side last summer.
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