Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones complained to top city officials about then-Police Chief William McManus “lackadaisical response” when details of her police protection were made public.
Katina Zentz/San Antonio Express-News
City Manager Erik Walsh, left, and then-Police Chief William McManus listen to Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones speak during a Town Hall event held at Adams Hill Elementary School, which Jones attended as a child.
Robin Jerstad
Then-Police Chief William McManus, second from left, greets well-wishers at Sanchez Ice House 1 in San Antonio.
Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News
Then-Police Chief William McManus attends a city council meeting on Jan. 22, 2026, to discuss the police department’s relations with federal immigration agencies.
Andrew J. Whitaker/San Antonio Express-News
Three months before San Antonio Police Chief William McManus announced his retirement, Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones privately told top city officials she had “no confidence in his ability to lead” after information about her police security detail was leaked to the media.
Jones never publicly voiced her criticism of McManus. The Oct. 3 email in which she attacked his leadership was obtained by the San Antonio Express-News under the state’s open records law, along with related messages. They have not previously been reported.
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Jones was reacting to an Oct. 2 KSAT report that disclosed details of security measures at her home, including the number of San Antonio Police Department officers assigned and where they were stationed.
In an email the next day to City Manager Erik Walsh, City Attorney Andy Segovia and other top officials, the mayor wrote that she was irked by the leak and by what she called McManus’ “lackadaisical response” when she reached out to him about it.
Jones wrote that when she called McManus on Oct. 2 to ask if he had seen the KSAT report, he replied, “Yeah, I did.”
“That was his full response,” Jones wrote. “Nothing further to elaborate the steps he was taking to mitigate the resulting risks, nothing re next steps he would be taking to hold folks accountable. Nothing.”
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She said she told McManus, “Well, I’m a bit surprised you didn’t at least give me a call.” She said he gave no response.
“Given the heightened threats against elected officials, especially women/LGBTQ+, and the several threats against me already, the Chief’s response was woefully inadequate and leaves me with no confidence in his ability to lead,” Jones wrote.
Walsh emailed back that he was “disappointed and concerned with the breach of security information,” and that McManus had launched an internal affairs investigation. Walsh defended the chief, writing: “I’m confident in his leadership abilities. Every day we strive to improve and we’ll learn from this serious situation.”
City Manager Erik Walsh and then-Police Chief William McManus share a light moment during a City Council meeting on Sept. 18, 2025.
Josie Norris/San Antonio Express-News
‘Stand by my record’
On Jan. 16, McManus, 74, announced he would step down in September after nearly 20 years in the job, the longest tenure of any San Antonio police chief. He later moved up his retirement date and left SAPD on July 10 to become vice president of safety and security for Silver Ventures, developer and owner of the Pearl dining and entertainment district.
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On Friday, McManus told the Express-News that, contrary to Jones’ impression, he took the security leak seriously from the beginning and acted accordingly. “My responsibility as chief was to evaluate the facts, assess any actual risk and respond appropriately. That’s exactly what I did,” he said.
As for the mayor’s stated lack of confidence in him, McManus said: “I don’t measure my career based on any one person’s opinion. Everyone is entitled to make their own assessments. I’ll stand by my record over the last 20 years.” He added that his relationship with Jones was “professional and respectful … on the few occasions we met.”
Questions had lingered about the timing of McManus’ retirement. An Express-News reporter working on a profile of the chief spent considerable time with him late last year, on and off duty, and he said then that he was healthy and had no retirement date in mind. Those closest to him at SAPD thought he would never leave the job voluntarily.
McManus said on Friday that the mayor’s dissatisfaction with his handling of the security leak had played no role in his decision to retire. “No chief serves forever, and I wanted to leave while I still had the enthusiasm to pursue something new,” he said.
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He said he advanced his departure date because he “was fortunate to receive an outstanding opportunity in the private sector, and the timing worked well. Moving my retirement up gave me a chance to decompress before beginning my next role.”
Walsh told the Express-News he took no disciplinary action against McManus over the security leak, despite Jones’ complaint. Under San Antonio’s form of government, the police chief reports to the city manager, not to the elected mayor or city council.
“I had the utmost confidence in the chief,” Walsh said, adding that Jones never asked him to remove McManus.
The mayor did not respond to a request for comment for this article.
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‘A serious threat to the safety of the mayor’
The disclosure of information about her home security arrangements was of special concern to Jones because she is the city’s first openly lesbian mayor and holds the office at a time of intense political polarization, when elected officials across the U.S. face an elevated risk of violence.
In August, a San Antonio man was arrested and charged with making an online threat to kill Jones because she wanted to slow down approval of public financing for a new downtown basketball arena for the Spurs.
Marcos Rene Olvera, then 24, was charged with obstruction or retaliation, a third-degree felony related to threatening a public servant. Prosecutors later dropped the charge, citing “insufficient evidence.”
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After KSAT revealed details of Jones’ security arrangements, gleaned from an internal SAPD document titled “Mayor Jones Residence Post Orders,” McManus publicly condemned the disclosure, telling Texas Public Radio it posed “a serious threat to the safety of the mayor, her security team and the integrity of our protective operations.”
“Protecting the public’s right to know must never come at the cost of compromising safety,” McManus said.
Safety was on Jones mind a month later, when she emailed Walsh on Nov. 11 to say she had learned about a forthcoming conference in Washington D.C. on “executive protection/best practices.” She suggested the head of her security detail be sent to the meeting.
Walsh answered the same day that the Police Executive Research Forum had organized the session and that chiefs from around the country would be there. McManus and Deputy SAPD Chief Michelle Ramos were on their way, he wrote, adding, “I’m sure there will be an opportunity to garner helpful information when they return.”
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Walsh did not respond directly to Jones’ suggestion that the head of her security unit attend as well.
The Express-News obtained these messages, too, under the state’s open records law.
‘Unfounded accusations’
There was additional fallout from the security leak in May, when Jones suggested that the chief of staff for one of her City Council rivals might be responsible for the disclosure.
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In a memo to three fellow council members, Jones said that one of the 115 SAPD officers questioned in the internal affairs probe into the leak told investigators that James Branch, chief of staff for District 7 Councilwoman Marina Alderete Gavito, “had access to the security information.”
Jones said Branch had declined to be interviewed by internal affairs and instead provided a statement through his attorney. The mayor said this “prevented a full and thorough investigation of a major security breach.”
KSAT said Branch was not one of its sources, and Branch’s attorney, Mariah Medina, said SAPD investigators found no evidence “of any leak, transmission or improper handling of sensitive materials” by her client.
She said Branch had been “subjected to baseless character assassination from the highest-ranking elected official in the city.” Alderete Gavito called on Jones to “immediately retract these unfounded accusations.” In June, Branch resigned from his council position to take a position in the private sector.
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SAPD has not revealed the results of its leak investigation, including whether any officers were disciplined.
Jesus “Jesus” Salame Jr., a 27-year veteran of the San Antonio Police Department, is serving as acting police chief while city officials search for a permanent successor to William McManus.
Andrew J. Whitaker/San Antonio Express-News
Walsh appointed Assistant Police Chief Jesus “Jesse” Salame Jr. to serve as acting chief while the city searches for a permanent successor to McManus. Salame, 50, has been with SAPD since 1999.
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Walsh will select the next chief, but Jones and the 10-member City Council must confirm the appointment by a majority vote. Officials expect to name a new SAPD leader by September.