SAN ANTONIO – A week after three former San Antonio Police Department officers were acquitted in the 2023 shooting death of Melissa Perez, the president of a local police union wants to put a vote of no confidence forward at the union’s next meeting.
San Antonio Police Officers’ Association President Danny Diaz sent union members a letter citing Chief William McManus’ “knee-jerk” reactions and “politically motivated” decisions in the arrests of officers the same day Melissa Perez was shot and killed.
“They should have been placed on administrative duty and they weren’t,” Diaz said. “They went directly to arresting them within 16 hours. That wasn’t the right decision to do, so our members don’t have confidence in the chief.”
After reaching out to SAPD for three days, the department sent KSAT the following emailed statement from McManus:
“I recognize that this case has stirred strong emotions within the Department and the community. My decisions in this case were based on the specific circumstances involved.
“I consistently support officers when their use of force is within policy and the law, and I review these situations regularly. The steps taken in this case were not influenced by political pressure or external pressure of any kind.
“I will continue to work with SAPOA, as I have over the years, to address our differences in a way that supports both our officers and the community we serve.”
SAPOA’s directors will speak with union members over the next couple of weeks and decide on Dec. 11 if the union will put forward a vote of no confidence. If the union holds the vote, members will have a couple of weeks to vote in favor of or against the chief.
The results are non-binding, and the anticipated vote is separate from the 2016 vote of no confidence in the chief.
The San Antonio Police Officers Association issued a vote of no confidence against the chief in 2016, with 97% of voting members disapproving of the chief. The vote took place during contract negotiations with then-city administration.
The union denied the vote was about contract negotiations and said the vote was because McManus was not reacting “appropriately” to staffing and morale issues in the department and showing “an unwillingness” to support officer John Lee after a deadly shooting.
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