SAN ANTONIO – Community leaders on the West Side are asking who is responsible for cleaning blood left on public streets after violent crimes, saying the visible stains re-traumatize families and neighbors.
Velma Pena, president of the Westwood Square Neighborhood Association, said she arrived at a shooting scene in August and found a large amount of blood close to the curb and sidewalk.
“It was a lot,” she said.
Pena said the blood had been only partially covered with sand or gravel, leaving it exposed. She said she called city offices and was directed to the police nonemergency line, and that it took time to get a response. She said she was trying to make sure the victim’s family would not see the scene.
“I felt so bad for his family. In the Hispanic culture, they come out and they put flowers where the person passed away,” she said.
San Antonio police and the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office said they coordinate with the fire department to arrange cleanup of blood in public areas.
The San Antonio Fire Department said crews typically use peroxide to clean the area and then flush it with water. Officials described the practice as routine rather than the result of a formal written policy.
Officials advised that if blood remains on a public street or sidewalk after a crime, residents should call the police or sheriff’s nonemergency line and request that a fire truck be dispatched to clean the area. That guidance applies only to public property.
The cleanup concerns come amid broader complaints that bodies at some fatal scenes have been left uncovered for too long, exposing mourners and passersby.
Lydia Leos, a San Antonio resident, cited a fatal shooting along Highway 90 and West Military Drive as an example and said she has seen other scenes where a body was not shielded promptly.
Leos said she worries that family members might arrive and find loved ones exposed, and she criticized social media users who share graphic images.
“Put yourself in their family’s shoes,” she said.
She urged influencers to obscure bodies in videos and posts.
San Antonio police said they use tarps and portable curtain fencing to shield bodies from public view. However, the timing and method of shielding depend on the nature of the scene, the terrain, the weather, and the need to preserve evidence.
The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office said it shields bodies from public view by covering them or providing a canopy, while prioritizing evidence preservation.
Leos said she has heard from a neighborhood family who learned a loved one was a crime victim only after seeing a photo on social media.
Residents are calling for clearer, faster responses so families are not further traumatized, and public streets are not left stained by violence.