OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

San Antonio Public Safety Committee Meeting - April 21, 2026

Council Committees — Tuesday, April 21, 2026
BodySan Antonio, Texas
SessionCouncil Committees
DateTuesday, April 21, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:48:15

Transcript — Verbatim
0:03

Okay, the time is now 143 p.m.

0:06

and calling public theory to order.

0:07

Madam Clerk, could you please call roll?

0:09

Councilmember McKee Rodriguez.

0:11

Present.

0:12

Councilmember Castillo?

0:13

Here.

0:13

Councilmember Spears.

0:15

Here.

0:15

Councilmember White.

0:16

Chair Corps?

0:18

Here.

0:18

We have a quorum.

0:19

Thank you.

0:20

First item on the agenda's approval of minutes from March 17, 2026.

0:23

Any corrections?

0:25

The motion?

0:26

Motion.

0:26

Second.

0:27

Second.

0:28

Motion and a second.

0:29

All in favor?

0:30

Aye.

0:30

Any opposed?

0:31

Okay, motion carries.

0:33

All right.

0:33

The second item on the agenda is a briefing on the fire department key performance metrics and fire dashboard, which I'm really excited to share.

0:41

So, Maria, do you want to say anything or pass it over?

0:43

All right, Chief Ross, your stage is yours.

1:03

Is the mic is her mic on the now?

1:10

It is.

1:11

Thank you.

1:12

Today's presentation focuses on the areas the committee asked us to expand on during our last meeting.

1:19

Uh so we'll be covering top incident types, trends over time, response performance, and an update on the needs assessment.

1:27

I'll highlight key takeaways and what those mean operationally.

1:35

On this next slide, we have the top incident types citywide.

1:39

Our system is driven by medical calls.

1:42

Uh, those being sick person falls and breathing problems make up the bulk of our calls, as you can see.

1:50

And on the non-medical side, it's lift assists and fire alarms.

1:56

This is the environment we are currently operating in.

2:02

Here we have the medical call types by district, and this is for calendar year 2025.

2:09

This is consistent across every district.

2:12

The same call types, different volumes as you can see.

2:15

Some areas are carrying more of that demand, and that matters as we look at deployment strategies.

2:24

On the next slide here, you see the medical call types by district.

2:28

These are the top 10 broken out by council district.

2:32

No change in 2026, same pattern and same demand drivers as you can see, the sick person MVC.

2:40

Um, so this is very steady.

2:42

What you'll notice across every district is that there's consistency.

2:47

Sick person is the number one call everywhere, and that tells us it isn't isolated, it's system-wide demand.

2:55

And what does change is the volume?

2:57

Some districts are carrying a heavier share of that demand, which becomes important as we look at deployment and future station planning as well.

3:11

Here you'll see the non-medical call types broken out by council district, and this is covering calendar year 2025.

3:19

Lift assists and fire alarms continue to lead across the board.

3:24

Lift assist leading citywide tells us we're seeing more calls tied to aging populations and mobility issues.

3:34

They're not high acuity calls, but they are very resource intensive where they require a full complement response and impact availability of units.

3:48

On this next slide, you'll see non-medical call types broken out by council district again, and this is for year-to-date calendar year 2016.

3:58

Same story and uh no shift, just continued volume on those particular call types.

4:08

So MIH program.

4:10

Uh, this is one of the programs, the ways that we are managing that demand.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Safety█████████████████████████████████████████████67%
Technology and Innovation██████████████21%
Engineering And Infrastructure███4%
Procedural█2%
Public Health█1%
Mental Health Awareness█1%
Code Enforcement█1%
Legislative Advocacy█1%
Municipal Court█1%
Summary of Proceedings

San Antonio Public Safety Committee Meeting - April 21, 2026

The Public Safety Committee met on April 21, 2026, from 1:43 PM to 3:31 PM to discuss fire department performance metrics, a new public safety dashboard, a proposed cryptocurrency kiosk ordinance, an electronic citation process study, and crime statistics. The committee approved minutes from the March 17, 2026 meeting and voted to advance the cryptocurrency ordinance to a full council session in May.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes: The committee unanimously approved the minutes from the March 17, 2026 meeting (motion by Councilmember McKee Rodriguez, second by Councilmember Castillo).

Discussion Items

Fire Department Key Performance Metrics & Fire Dashboard

  • Chief Ross presented data showing medical calls (sick person, falls, breathing problems) drive 78% of calls citywide, with call volumes 15–20% above pre-COVID levels. The system is operating under sustained demand, and a needs assessment RFP has closed with a vendor recommendation expected in May for council consideration in May 2026.
  • Maria Vargas, Director of Integrated Community Safety, introduced the new public safety dashboard (fire response) hosted on SA.gov, featuring incident data from January 1, 2024, with monthly updates. The dashboard includes fire, medical, arson, and fire prevention inspection data.
  • Council discussion focused on response times (currently averaging 8:37, within the eight-to-nine-minute national standard), the need to reduce call volume through programs like MIH and clinical dispatch, and the importance of the needs assessment for the FY27 budget and bond program. Councilmember White noted that call volume may outpace resources if not addressed, and Councilmember Castillo highlighted the connection between vacant structures and firefighter risk.
  • Councilmember McKee Rodriguez requested data on how response time improvements affect patient outcomes; Chief Ross agreed to investigate.
  • Councilmember Spears asked about the timeline for the needs assessment: staffing recommendations expected by July 2026 for budget consideration, facilities assessment expected later.

Cryptocurrency Kiosk Ordinance

  • Assistant Chief Jesse Salome and Sheriff Salazar presented a draft ordinance requiring warning signs at all cryptocurrency kiosks, with enforcement by code enforcement rather than police. The ordinance aims to reduce fraud, which has caused $39 million in losses from January 2024 to April 2026 (660 reports, 38% of victims age 66+).
  • Proposed legislative priorities include requiring electronic messaging on kiosks, limiting first-time user transaction amounts, and 14-day holds for first-time users.
  • The committee voted unanimously to move the draft ordinance to an A session in May 2026.
  • Councilmember Castillo noted that a similar ordinance in Omaha led to an 80% reduction in losses. AARP representatives expressed support and offered resources.

Electronic and Paper Citation Process

  • Kate Kinerson, Chief Innovation Officer, presented a study showing that 54% of citations are currently electronic. Converting the remaining 22,000 paper tickets (from SAPD) to electronic could save 736 officer hours annually and $51,000 in officer time, plus 1,746 court clerk hours ($60,800) and potential revenue increase of $300,000–$500,000 due to higher payment rates (63% electronic vs. 38% paper).
  • The committee discussed a short-term purchase of 60 e-citation devices ($227,000, already budgeted) and a long-term solicitation for an enterprise-wide solution projected for implementation by October 2027.
  • Council members expressed support for the approach and emphasized the need for a pilot program and options for residents without smartphones. Councilmember Spears noted a local vendor (Trusted Driver) in her district.

Crime Statistics Update

  • Staff presented the monthly crime statistics memo, showing overall crime down 10.2% for calendar year 2026. Crimes against people and property are down; crimes against society are up due to proactive enforcement (drug/narcotics).
  • Councilmember Spears raised concerns about recent burglaries in the Stone Oak area; Chief confirmed detectives are assigned. Councilmember Castillo requested a breakdown of pornography/obscene material cases (191 in 2026, up from 152 in 2024) and public education options.
  • Councilmember McKee Rodriguez noted a mathematical discrepancy on page four of the memo, which staff said they would correct.

Key Outcomes

  • Vote: Approved consent calendar (minutes of March 17, 2026) unanimously.
  • Vote: Approved motion to advance the cryptocurrency kiosk ordinance to an A session in May 2026 (motion and second, voice vote unanimous).
  • Directive: Staff to investigate the relationship between response time reductions and patient outcomes, and provide a breakdown of pornography-related cases and potential public education.
  • Next Steps: The needs assessment vendor recommendation will be presented to council in May 2026. The e-citation device purchase will proceed; a solicitation for an enterprise-wide solution is planned for FY27. The committee will hold a full discussion on crime statistics at the May 2026 meeting.

Meeting Transcript

Okay, the time is now 143 p.m. and calling public theory to order. Madam Clerk, could you please call roll? Councilmember McKee Rodriguez. Present. Councilmember Castillo? Here. Councilmember Spears. Here. Councilmember White. Chair Corps? Here. We have a quorum. Thank you. First item on the agenda's approval of minutes from March 17, 2026. Any corrections? The motion? Motion. Second. Second. Motion and a second. All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Okay, motion carries. All right. The second item on the agenda is a briefing on the fire department key performance metrics and fire dashboard, which I'm really excited to share. So, Maria, do you want to say anything or pass it over? All right, Chief Ross, your stage is yours. Is the mic is her mic on the now? It is. Thank you. Today's presentation focuses on the areas the committee asked us to expand on during our last meeting. Uh so we'll be covering top incident types, trends over time, response performance, and an update on the needs assessment. I'll highlight key takeaways and what those mean operationally. On this next slide, we have the top incident types citywide. Our system is driven by medical calls. Uh, those being sick person falls and breathing problems make up the bulk of our calls, as you can see. And on the non-medical side, it's lift assists and fire alarms. This is the environment we are currently operating in. Here we have the medical call types by district, and this is for calendar year 2025. This is consistent across every district. The same call types, different volumes as you can see. Some areas are carrying more of that demand, and that matters as we look at deployment strategies. On the next slide here, you see the medical call types by district. These are the top 10 broken out by council district. No change in 2026, same pattern and same demand drivers as you can see, the sick person MVC. Um, so this is very steady. What you'll notice across every district is that there's consistency. Sick person is the number one call everywhere, and that tells us it isn't isolated, it's system-wide demand.

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