SAN ANTONIO – Neighbors in Westwood Square are hopeful {that a} new federal grant will help the San Antonio Police Department hook up with their community.
As a part of ’s Know My Neighborhood undertaking, citizens within the West San Antonio community shared how they’ve felt forgotten by means of police.
Neighbors there are pleasant with every different.
“We’re pretty united, you know,” mentioned Velma Peña, president of Westwood Square’s group affiliation. “They like getting involved in different things with different organizations.”
When it comes to crime, Peña mentioned but even so a SAFFE officer — the group doesn’t actually consider police.
“They’re afraid to call the police because of retaliation,” Peña mentioned.
She needs that to trade.
Over the weekend, the town introduced that the Department of Justice is giving SAPD $6.25 million to help with community policing efforts during the town.
Police Chief William McManus mentioned the grant will help cut back reaction occasions to calls and provides officials extra time to hook up with the community.
“They can work with the neighborhood,” McManus mentioned. “More time to work with neighborhood associations and ensure ways to work on the problems in their neighborhood.”
12 News took Peña’s worry directly to McManus, asking him how the grant cash is going to help construct consider in communities.
“We always get questions like, ‘Well, how are you going to build trust? How are you going to do this?’” McManus mentioned. “‘How are you going to work your way into the communities and bridge that gap?’ What we don’t talk about is the gap that we have bridged to the majority of this community is strongly in support of this police department.”
McManus admits that stage of consider may also be stepped forward.
“Is it 100%? No,” he mentioned. “Will ever be 100%? No. But what is 100%, right?”
“If it’s something that the community is asking for or is needed and we haven’t seen it, then, then we should have some type of a meeting,” Peña mentioned.
Peña mentioned she is making plans a community assembly with the group’s assigned SAFFE officer.
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