BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – Residents living in Somerset and Von Ormy know their areas along State Highway 16 are growing. However, with the growth, officials said crime is on the rise in both communities.
“It’s concerning for us and the families as we travel or shop in the area,” resident Ruben Rios said.
According to Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar, domestic violence in the area is trending up. From 2020 to 2023, BCSO responded to approximately 61 calls per year on average.
As of October 2024, Salazar said the county has received 80 domestic violence calls. That upward trend is impacting other crime stats, the sheriff said.
“Homicides, as of a month ago, we have already surpassed all of our homicides for last year for the entire year,” Salazar said. “In October, we surpassed that number, and half of those are domestic violence-related.”
Another issue is the increase in drivers and traffic, which leads to crashes along State Highway 16 between the two communities.
Since 2021, BCSO’s traffic team responded to approximately 400 crashes. Not all of these crashes are considered major, but at least nine of those major crashes were fatal.
“I grew up off of (State) Highway 16, so I’ve seen these accidents in front of my house as a kid, so it is very concerning to me,” a woman attending a community meeting said. “Those foggy days I have to go through that intersection, and it’s scary.”
BCSO’s traffic team said that approximately 50% of the issues come from distracted driving followed by drivers failing to stop.
“We’ve identified that there is very minimal traffic infrastructure, safety infrastructure along (State) Highway 16,” Bexar County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Johnny Garcia said.
The Sheriff’s team proposed safety measures to either add rumble strips, which have an estimated price tag of $15,000 or overhead flashers.
The overhead flashers could cost approximately $350,000. BCSO said it is in talks with the county and the Texas Department of Transportation.
