San Antonio police to launch bilingual "Call the Shots" campaign against celebratory gunfire

The San Antonio Police Department presented a bilingual public information campaign called "Call the Shots" aimed at reducing celebratory gunfire, and the Public Safety Committee voted to move the campaign forward.

The campaign, requested in a Council Consideration Request submitted by District 5 Councilmember Terry Castillo and District 7 Councilmember Aldrete Gavito, will pair community engagement, social media, and local media coordination with measurement of calls for service and social media engagement, city staff said. The department described the initiative as a summer and New Year holiday focus, and recommended the committee approve SAPD and Community Neighborhood Engagement (CNE) to implement it.

The police presentation noted the hazards of firing a gun into the air: bullets fired upward can return at speeds capable of penetrating skin and bone. The chief cited local incidents in San Antonio on Jan. 1, 2025, including four cases that resulted in injury — a 9-year-old grazed by a bullet while outside and a 17-year-old struck in the cheek while at home — and said calls for ‘‘shots heard’’ peak on Jan. 1 and July 4. The department reported a citywide daily average of roughly 102 calls per day in 2023 and 79 calls per day in 2024, and said District 5 and District 2 had the highest call volumes in 2023.

Councilwoman Aldrete Gavito said the CCR was driven by reports from neighbors in District 5 and District 7 and supported telling victims’ stories to humanize the issue. She asked whether data on arrests tied to shots-heard calls was available; the chief said arrest data for those calls was not on hand and staff would follow up. Councilwoman White said she supported the campaign while reiterating her support for lawful gun ownership and stressing responsible use.

Committee members praised the bilingual nature of the campaign and the plan to track metrics and return with an update. The committee approved the department’s recommendation; a motion to proceed carried with the committee members present voting in favor.

The department said implementation will include community meetings, social media messaging, collaboration with Metro Health and San Antonio Fire Department (SAFD), and monitoring of success through comparisons with the prior two years and social-media metrics. Staff also noted prior outreach, including a regional SpyroTech message and local media coverage in past years.

Committee members asked staff to provide follow-up information on arrests associated with shots-heard calls and requested a one-year update on campaign progress.