SAPD's hot spot policing strategy, part of a broader plan to reduce violent crime, reportedly had promising results in its first four months.
UTSA criminology and criminal justice professor Michael Smith and San Antonio Police Chief William McManus address City Council members on Wednesday.broader plan to reduce violent crime
“We know from a great deal of research that violent crime happens in a relatively [low] number of places and is committed by a relatively [low] number of people,” Smith said. SAPD started with 28 hot spots during the first, two-month round. Seventeen of those continued to be hot spots in the second round, as they continued to have high volumes of violent crimes reported.
And there is no consistent evidence so far that the crimes that were reduced due to the hot spot effort were simply being committed elsewhere, Smith added. As part of UTSA’s analysis, they are also tracking crime in the immediate area outside the hot spots. After the initial hot spots phase, the next phase of the plan will involve a team of staff from various city departments and community partners to address the underlying conditions in the area that contribute to crime — be it physical, such as poor lighting, or service-based, like a lack of daycare or recreation opportunities.
City Manager Erik Walsh said community input will be part of the interagency team’s work, which is slated to start implementing those interventions in January after UTSA assists the city in identifying the causes of violence in those hot spots.The second and third phases of the Violent Crime Reduction Plan are critical to its success, Smith said, but none of this is a wholesale solution.
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