San Antonio residents are getting a direct say in the search for the city's next police chief as Chief William McManus prepares to step down at the end of September. City officials have launched a brief, anonymous bilingual survey that they say will help shape an executive profile used to screen candidates and steer the recruitment process.
The effort, city leaders say, gives neighbors a front-row view of what qualities San Antonio is prioritizing in its next top cop.
How to weigh in
The city's communications office published a news release with links to short English and Spanish surveys and announced that San Antonio has partnered with the Police Executive Research Forum to support the search. According to the City of San Antonio, responses will be used to develop an executive profile for applicants. The release also notes that the survey is anonymous and designed to take only a few minutes to complete.
What the survey asks and when it ends
The anonymous form includes eight mandatory multiple-choice prompts, 18 questions in total, that ask about neighborhood safety, recent interactions with SAPD, departmental strengths and areas for improvement, and what the next chief's priorities should be. KSAT reviewed the questionnaire and published several sample items, including questions on how safe respondents feel and what SAPD should prioritize. The survey will close at 5 p.m. on May 18 and is available in both English and Spanish, per KSAT.
Who is running the search
The City says it engaged PERF - a national organization that assists cities with recruiting law enforcement leaders - to help run outreach and vetting. "The Chief of Police plays a critical role for our organization and the community by leading our public safety efforts and building and maintaining our community trust," City Manager Erik Walsh said in the release. City officials say resident responses will inform the candidate profile PERF and staff use during outreach and initial screening, and the city manager will nominate a finalist for City Council confirmation when the search concludes.
Next steps and context
Chief William McManus announced his retirement in January and told staff he plans to stay through the end of September, a move reported by KSAT Investigates. McManus has led SAPD since 2006, and his departure starts an unusually high-profile recruitment for a city the size of San Antonio. City leaders say this survey is one early step, with further public engagement and candidate outreach expected as PERF and city staff develop the executive profile and begin the search process.
