SAN ANTONIO – Three city councilmembers are pushing for the San Antonio Police Department to hire more officers in upcoming budget sessions as the city continues to grow.
A resolution asking the city council to prioritize hiring 65 new officers in the upcoming fiscal year was filed Thursday by councilmembers Marina Alderete Gavito (District 7), Misty Spears (District 9) and Marc Whyte (District 10).
“Our constituents are constantly telling us how they feel less safe than they did 5-10 years ago,” Spears said. “Perception is reality.”
The move comes after the resolution’s sponsors said the city has failed to meet commitments of police staffing increases councilmembers enacted following a 2023 report by independent consultants.
The report stated San Antonio needed 360 new officers to keep pace with growth in the city. A plan was implemented to hire 100 officers upfront, followed by an additional 65 officers for the following four years.
Councilmembers sponsoring the resolution said that only 40 officers were hired this fiscal year, however.
“Public safety is our number one priority,” Whyte said. “You (need to) put in the necessary amount of officers to start with, and you build the rest of the budget around it.”
Spears and Whyte both said the intention is to ensure that the full, additional 65 officers are added into the upcoming year’s budget.
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