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UTSA evaluation: targeted policing strategy tied to declines in violent crime in year two, presenters say
Summary
UTSA researchers and police staff presented a year-two evaluation of San Antonio's targeted violent-crime reduction plan, reporting declines in several violent-crime metrics in 2024 and identifying areas needing further work, including domestic violence and sustained resources.
UTSA researchers and San Antonio Police Department staff on Feb. 8 presented the second-year evaluation of a targeted violent-crime reduction plan the city began in January 2023. The presenters said the evaluation focuses on 2024 (year two) and shows declines in several violent-crime measures in areas where the strategy was applied.
Dr. Smith, presenting on behalf of UTSA, said the plan uses a three-pronged approach: increase police visibility in prioritized hot spots, address underlying drivers at persistent crime locations, and focus enforcement on a relatively small number of high-risk individuals. The evaluation compared year-two (2024) figures to the prior year and to a multi-year trend.
Dr. Smith reported a roughly 9.6% citywide reduction in street-incident violent crime for 2024 relative to the prior year and a 22.4% reduction in the targeted focus areas. Homicides were reported as about 20% lower in the year-two comparison; some categories, such as robberies at businesses, showed little change. Dr. Smith said aggressive visibility treatments combined with foot patrols produced a larger decrease — the presentation cited a 38.1% decline where visibility-plus-foot-patrol treatments were used. Arrests for firearms-related offenses were reported to have decreased by about 44% in the cited period; arrests for violent offenses tied to individuals with prior reports were also noted as down significantly.
The presenters described a multidisciplinary operational approach in specific pilot locations, including a detailed effort in an area on Rixby Avenue (described by presenters as a high-ranked focal area). A multidisciplinary team issued 19 recommendations for that location; presenters said 14 of those recommendations were fully or partially implemented and that staff measured conditions before and after interventions over six-week treatment cycles.
Presenters cautioned that significant challenges remain. Dr. Smith highlighted that domestic-violence metrics did not improve and require further work. Councilmembers pressed the staffing question: one speaker recalled a planned increase of 65 officers over three years in the city budget, and another councilmember said the city needs more than that. Councilmember White urged that adding officers be a budgetary priority and said he would press the matter with the City Council.
No formal committee action was taken on the evaluation; presenters said the city and police will continue to identify additional focus areas and report back on implementation steps.
