By Edmond Ortiz
City Council had a busy morning Sept. 10, addressing key public safety issues, including endorsing a jail diversion pilot program, approving a new collective bargaining agreement with the local police union, and the confirmation of a permanent police chief.
Jail diversion program
The city will work with the Center for Health Care Services to roll out a six-month diversion center pilot program at the existing CHCS facility at 711 E. Josephine St., which currently operates as a crisis respite center.
City officials said the pilot would focus on certain arrests made in the San Antonio Police Department’s central and downtown substation response areas.
According to the pilot program plan, individuals at risk for arrest for non-residential criminal trespass or non-residential theft under $100 would be voluntarily diverted to the 16-bed CHCS facility for a minimum of 14 days. The diverted individual would then be offered about 90 days worth of follow-up services after discharge.
Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Council and Southwest Texas Crisis Collaborative will oversee governance of the pilot diversion program, which will be a multi-agency roundtable to include CHSC, Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, Bexar County District Attorney’s Office, University Health and the city.
Council authorized directing $638,370 from the city’s Westside Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone to fund the pilot program.
District 5 Councilmember Teri Castillo submitted a council consideration request in 2025 to establish a centralized system for jail diversion and recovery.
Castillo, other local leaders, and advocates for mental healthcare and criminal justice reform have long sought a pre-arrest program to help individuals with mental health or substance abuse issues to stay out of jail and address their personal challenges.
Until now, Bexar County had been the lone major metropolitan Texas county without a pre-arrest jail diversion and recovery program.
“What we’re talking about here is a pre-arrest approach, ensuring that before an individual in need hits the magistration process, whether that’s with the city and or the county, is diverted based off of the criteria that was laid out today and agreed upon by the district attorney, the (sheriff’s office) and SAPD would potentially be diverted and connected to access to care,” Castillo said at the Aug. 31 council public safety committee meeting.
Police chief confirmed
Council voted to confirm the appointment of Jesse Salame permanent police chief, who succeeds William McManus, who is retiring from public law enforcement.
According to City Manager Erik Walsh, Salame emerged as a strong candidate during a nationwide search because of his leadership experience and skills.
A native San Antonian who joined the SAPD in June 1999. Salame was appointed deputy police chief in December 2022, and most recently served as assistant police chief and then acting police chief when McManus announced in June that he was retiring sooner than originally publicized.
City leaders praised Salame, with many saying they look forward to the new police chief offering his version of public transparency and accountability on various issues, including community policing, prevention, and how SAPD may engage the federal government’s efforts toward law enforcement regarding undocumented immigrants.
“I appreciate (Salame’s) common sense approach and intuitive ability to anticipate,” Walsh said.
Salame said his top overarching priorities would include overseeing strategic initiatives and data-driven and holistic approaches toward cutting violent crime, ensuring high morale among SAPD personnel, and emphasizing community trust.
“I take all of those things seriously. All of those things have to work together, and everything that we’re going to do – every initiative, every other vision or idea we have – is going to spring from those three priorities,” Salame said.
New police CBA
Council also approved a new CBA with the San Antonio Police Officers’ Association for a three-year period starting Oct. 1.
According to Walsh, the new pact with the police union features competitive pay levels to maintain retention and recruitment efforts. The city agrees to increase wages 16.5% over the next three fiscal years, starting with Fiscal Year 2027 that begins Oct. 1.
The six-month negotiation period also produced a realignment of patrol shifts to address service call demands, and a push to further improve disciplinary procedures. Additionally, incentive pay was revised to raise shift differential and create a weekend differential pay.
