SAPD Officers Survey Reveals Concerns
On Monday, Feb. 7, 2022, San Antonio’s KABB Channel 29 news shed some light on the reasons for that lack of confidence when they reported the results of a recent survey of SAPD leaders. On Wednesday, June 14, 2023, over a year later, KABB reported on a survey of over 1000 SAPD officers, and the results showed they are working in a hostile work environment that affects them personally and the public’s safety.
According to the survey there were five major areas of concern to the police officers that affects their morale and performance.
The biggest concern is the fear of discipline and losing their job over a life/death/danger decision. Police officers are constantly “second-guessed” by SAPD leaders, politicians, community leaders, and the news media for making a life-death decision in the blink of eye. It is easy to be a “Monday morning quarterback” when your life is not in immediate danger, and you have a lot of time to think.
The second biggest is the stress over management and supervision that seems to care more about political correctness than public safety or the police officers’ safety.
Third is the lack of public and media support. Anti-police groups and the local mainstream news media are constantly critical of the police. The news media never criticizes the soft-on-crime policies and leaders that have created the current crime wave by excusing and tolerating bad behavior.
The local biased news media also gives radicals a regular platform criticize the police, and demand “police reform” —- which means defund or abolish the police. They rarely find people to defend or praise the police.
I’m not surprised by the lack of news coverage about this survey of SAPD officers. The local news hates them. The TV network “diversity” officers want the police portrayed as villains, bullies, and racists.
Fourth is lack of staffing that causes officers to be overworked. While the city leaders are claiming to soon hire more police officers, they ignore the large number the retires monthly, the many who change their career because of the frustrations, and the small numbers that are recruited. The city refuses to be honest about the shortage of police officers.
The fifth concern is that it is a career that puts a person in a daily warzone. Only military combat can be compared to police work, and combat ends for soldiers. For police officers, the violence and crime are daily.
In a time of high crime and violence, the SAPD officers are suffering personal fatigue and low morale. The suicide rate for SAPD officers is higher than ever.
The citizens and businesses of San Antonio need to speak up to support, encourage, and defend those who protect us!