SAN ANTONIO – Over the last year, San Antonio police say there’s been an increase in three main kinds of crime in the city: crimes against people, property, and society, including those involving hate crimes, animal cruelty and drugs.
“You know, the numbers are not what we want to see, clearly,” said San Antonio Police Chief William McManus.
According to the SAPD’s 2022 crime update, the leading factor for homicides in San Antonio remains arguments.
“Risky behavior that results in altercations, perceived slights. Arguments over ex-boyfriends, ex-girlfriends where people are spontaneously pulling out a weapon and resolving their issues that way,” McManus said.
Although numbers in all crime categories are up, McManus said part of the reason for the increase is a change in the way SAPD now tracks crimes.
For nearly 100 years, SAPD used what’s called uniform crime reporting.
“Uniform Crime Reporting simply focused on the most serious crime in a crime event,” McManus said.
New FBI crime reporting requirements that provide more details were implemented in January 2021.
“If someone were to break into a home and assault two people in the home, they would kill the pet, and then they were to commit a murder inside that home -- the only crime that would be reported would be the murder under (Uniform Crime Reporting). Under (National Incident-Based Reporting System), each one of those crimes gets reported,” McManus said.
Even with the change in crime reporting and the increase in crime numbers, McManus says the risk of becoming a victim remains low for the average person.
“If you’re not a gang member, if you’re not dealing drugs, not selling drugs, not engaged in prostitution in any way, your chances of becoming the victim of a violent crime are low,” McManus said.