Chief McManus patrols problematic area on East Side

SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio police Chief William McManus was out on patrol at a problematic area on the city’s East Side on Friday.

“It's a good way to talk to the community folks, to engage the officers around here,” said the chief.

McManus regularly heads out on patrol, often on the city’s East Side. On Friday, he stopped at the Hayes Food Mart in the 800 block of North New Braunfels Avenue, the site of two shootings last Thursday.

“I tend to stay where there's been some recent violence, and there's been some recent violence here in this area, so we parked on this lot on the market,” he said.

The chief spoke with customers and employees at the store. One employee spoke about their concern over people who harass staff members and linger inside the store.

“The answer to that is to put up 'no trespassing' signs,” McManus said. He also recommended establishing a rapport with the area’s San Antonio Fear Free Environment (SAFFE) officer. “That way, when people are hanging out in the lot, the people inside the store don't even need to get involved with talking to the police.”

Earlier this year, the San Antonio Police Department increased the presence of the Violent Crime Task Force, which the chief said has helped level off crime in the area.

“Since they've been out here, our arrests, our seizures of guns, drugs, money, you know, suspected proceeds of crime, have all gone way up,” McManus said.

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