San Antonio’s fire and police leadership presented annual activity statistics and operational updates to the Public Safety Committee, reporting rising medical calls for the fire department and modest reductions in several crime categories over the past two years.

Valerie Frastro, introduced as a municipal deputy director assigned to the fire department presentation, said medical incidents continue to rise and now compose the majority of the department’s responses while nonmedical incidents have remained relatively stable. Frastro showed quarterly trends that indicated the same pattern in the first quarter of each fiscal year reviewed. She also said fire-structure incidents have decreased slightly, attributing the decline in part to education and code enforcement.

Fire department leaders reported that average response times remain within an acceptable range and outlined operational adjustments intended to improve unit availability, such as dispatching the closest unit and reducing the number of units sent per call where safe and appropriate.

For police, Chief McMahon (named in the meeting) summarized crime statistics under the FBI’s National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) framework and said the department received about 2.2 million calls in 2024. The police presentation noted an overall crime reduction of roughly six percent over the past two years and a two percent decline in violent crime, while acknowledging some specific categories have increased. The department emphasized a dual strategy of enforcement and community partnerships.

Committee members asked for additional, specific data. Councilmembers requested follow-up information on repeat 911 callers and how many medical calls come from a small set of frequently calling individuals; staff said they would provide those figures. Members also asked for crime data broken down by district or ZIP code; police staff said district- and ZIP-level statistics are available via the department’s public dashboard and can be shared to help residents and councilmembers evaluate local trends.

The police also described plans to staff and monitor public-safety cameras in targeted downtown locations and other areas during specific days or shifts; Rick Reilly, assistant director in the police department, said camera feeds would be monitored during peak hours and integrated with dispatch to enable a faster response when incidents are observed.

Committee discussion also covered staffing shortages and the role of new officers. Officials said additional sworn positions funded in recent budgets are being onboarded and that improved staffing should continue to support shorter response times and more proactive policing.

No formal actions were taken on these presentations; the committee requested follow-up reports and additional data as noted.