{"id":429995,"date":"2026-09-08T22:30:22","date_gmt":"2026-09-08T22:30:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/429995\/"},"modified":"2026-09-08T22:30:22","modified_gmt":"2026-09-08T22:30:22","slug":"ex-san-antonio-police-chief-mcmanus-exits-job-at-pearl-after-less-than-a-week","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/429995\/","title":{"rendered":"Ex-San Antonio police chief McManus exits job at Pearl after less than a week"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"SAPDWilliam McManus speaks to reporters during his time as SAPD chief. Credit: Michael Karlis<\/p>\n

Well, that didn\u2019t last long. <\/p>\n

Retired San Antonio police chief Bill McManus has left an executive position with Silver Ventures, which owns and operates the Pearl entertainment district, after less than a week on the job. In a Friday statement, McManus and company officials revealed they had mutually agreed to part ways.<\/p>\n

McManus, who retired from SAPD in July, joined as Pearl\u2019s full-time president of safety and security, but has since transitioned into a part-time gig as a security consultant, the announcement said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the conclusion of his first week, William McManus and Silver Ventures leadership met to assess the role and the security needs of the organization and quickly recognized that his greatest asset to Pearl would be through a consulting role rather than a traditional full-time position,\u201d company officials said.<\/p>\n

Silver Ventures went on to say McManus and the company \u201cmutually agreed on that path and are thrilled to be working together.\u201d<\/p>\n

His sudden exit from his full-time job at Pearl comes after McManus last week ranted on social media platform X against socialism, which he said would lead the United States to become a communist state.<\/p>\n

In a series of tweets on Sept. 3, McManus quoted former Soviet Union leader Nikita Khrushchev and compared universal healthcare to mind control.<\/p>\n

\u201cSocialism leads to communism,\u201d McManus wrote. \u201cCommunism teaches there is no God. There are 8 levels of control that will lead us to a communist state.\u201d<\/p>\n

Socialism leads to Communism.
Communism teaches there is no God. There are\u00a08 levels of control that will lead us to a communist state.<\/p>\n

\u2014 X-Chief Bill McManus (@Chief_McManus) September 3, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

He also expressed frustration <\/a>on X that the Express-News didn\u2019t publish his op-ed endorsing Jesus \u201cJesse\u201d Salame as SAPD\u2019s new chief of police.<\/p>\n

In its statement, Silver Ventures didn\u2019t mention McManus\u2019 tweets or whether they had anything to do with him vacating his full-time position at Pearl. <\/p>\n

Even so, it\u2019s not the first time McManus has abruptly vacated a full-time position outside of city police work.<\/p>\n

In late 2014, McManus left his job at SAPD to become senior director of security at city-owned utility CPS Energy. However, he departed that position after nine months to rejoin the police department.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt didn\u2019t take me long to realize that my true place was here at the city,\u201d McManus told reporters<\/a> after he exited his role at CPS Energy. \u201cI was actually getting comfortable there.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, McManus\u2019 2015 return as police chief wasn\u2019t without controversy.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo other employee from the city, no matter what level, can go and come back as they please,\u201d then-LULAC Executive Director Henry Rodriguez told Spectrum News at the time<\/a>. \u201cIt just doesn\u2019t happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

The San Antonio Police Officers Association (SAPOA) union also said the whiplash from McManus\u2019 back-and-forth between the force and CPS Energy was unhealthy for the department.<\/p>\n

Even so, then-City Manager Sheryll Sculley defended her decision to hire McManus back.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomeone said to me yesterday, \u2018Well, he didn\u2019t apply for the position,\u2019\u201d Sculley told the San Antonio Report at the time<\/a>. \u201cMy response was, \u2018He\u2019s applied for the position for the past nine years and demonstrated his performance as chief of police.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

McManus served as chief of the San Antonio Police Department for 20 years, leading the department through the COVID-19 pandemic, the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020 and high-profile officer-involved shootings<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Last week SAPD announced that Salame, who previously served as a department spokesman and chief of staff, would become the new chief. City Council is expected to confirm him to the position on Thursday.<\/p>\n

Sign Up for SA Current newsletters.<\/a><\/p>\n

Follow us:\u00a0Apple News<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Google News<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0NewsBreak<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Reddit<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Facebook\u00a0<\/a>| Twitter<\/a>\u00a0| Or sign up for our\u00a0RSS Feed<\/a><\/p>\n

Related Stories<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"San\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tThe Helotes Police Department arrested Lt. Benjamin Flores on Sunday while he was off-duty. \t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"San\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tBless Achor, a six-year SAPD veteran, turned himself in to the Bexar County Sheriff\u2019s Office on Wednesday. \t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"San\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tThe chief, who was originally set to retire in September, said Wednesday that he\u2019ll now exit on July 10. \t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\u200b<\/p>\n

\t