Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales meets with the San Antonio Express-News Editorial Board about recent shootings involving San Antonio police officers.
San Antonio Express-News
Emilie Eaton, Staff Writer
San Antonio's top two law enforcement officials are at an impasse over how to respond to a recent spate of shootings in which police officers were injured by suspects who had histories of violent crime and who in some cases were out on bail.
In separate interviews Friday, Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales and Police Chief William McManus acknowledged they haven't spoken in more than a month, even as they have criticized one another in the media. That period includes a two-week span in which six officers were wounded and three suspects killed in shootings.
McManus has faulted the DA's Office for failing to seek tougher bail conditions for dangerous suspects. Gonzales has responded that judges, not the district attorney, determine bond, and that McManus' criticism reflects a flawed understanding of the justice system.
In meetings with the San Antonio Express-News Editorial Board, both expressed frustration and despair about the rash of shootings. And while both said they hope they can work together to address the violence, they acknowledged that neither had made a personal effort to reach out to the other.
“I’m not looking to pick a fight with the DA,” McManus said. “But when I’ve talked about this with Joe before, he gets very defensive … I can tell you right now that there is going to be a lot of defensiveness. I’ve dealt with him for four and a half years.”
Gonzales, for his part, said his staff had reached out to top officials in the police department to seek a meeting with McManus, but was told it wasn’t a good time.
“We find it to be more productive to talk to the people who know what’s going on,” Gonzales said. “It’s one of the most frustrating things.”
The two are scheduled to attend a town hall on public safety scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday with District 4 Councilwoman Adriana Rocha Garcia and Deputy City Manager Maria Villagómez, who oversees the police department. The session will be held at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church, at 9883 Marbach Rd. on the Far West Side.
McManus said he has “an open line with the DA" but had not thought about reaching out to Gonzales before Monday's meeting. Christian Henricksen, first assistant district attorney, said he didn’t know if Gonzales planned to reach out to the chief.
The back-and-forth between the two law enforcement officials comes a little over two weeks since the string of shootings began. In each case, police said the suspect had a history of violent crime.
After the first shooting, McManus took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to question why the suspect, Jesse Garcia, was out on bond. He said Garcia was out on two bonds for almost a year, despite being rearrested and wanted on three different warrants.
“Why wasn’t he in jail? Why weren't his bonds increased?” McManus posted. “People want to know.”
The District Attorney’s Office responded that judges have little power to hold someone without bond even if they commit another offense.
“There’s very few circumstances where judges have authority to remand somebody without bond on a case that they have not been convicted on,” Henricksen said at the time.
As for the bond amounts, Henricksen said the DA’s office can only make recommendations. A judge ultimately decides the bond.
Complicated system
Asked during Friday's meeting with the editorial board how he planned to address the rash of violence, Gonzales responded that there was little he could do.
"I can't change it," Gonzales said. "What can we do to predict whether a person is going to shoot a police officer? We don’t have a crystal ball."
Later, Gonzales acknowledged that his office could work with magistrate judges and the police department to put officers on the stand during bond hearings to make the case for higher bail.
"If SAPD is really concerned, if Chief McManus is really concerned, about bonds, why don't you get your officers to show up and let us put on your witnesses? Let's put on the officer to articulate why you think a higher bond should be set."
He also said his office could do a better job educating the community about the role the District Attorney's Office plays in setting bond.
McManus said he didn't see any immediate changes he could make in his department to address the violence. He said he long has been frustrated by what he sees as lenient bond decisions, and that his staff had been trying to work with the DA's Office on the issue for two years, to no avail.
City Manager Erik Walsh said he would like to see all the major players in the criminal justice system get together to look for answers.
"It’s more than just one piece," said Walsh, who attended the editorial board meeting. "There are multiple steps within the process. It’s not just the police department and the District Attorney’s Office. Where can we close those gaps? The public doesn’t care who does it, just that it works."
"At the end of the day… something needs to change," Walsh said. "If that includes us doing something different, then we’ll do it."
Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai said Friday he has been working to arrange a meeting between McManus, Gonzales, Mayor Ron Nirenberg, Sheriff Javier Salazar and District Judge Ron Rangel, administrative judge of the Bexar County courts. He called it the first step in getting to a resolution.
Sakai said he was confident McManus and Gonzales can work out their differences.
"I'm asking our elected officials, 'Let's not point fingers and blame,'" Sakai said. "I bring expertise and experience to the criminal justice system that I can provide solutions as to how we can protect the community, especially (from) repeat criminal offenders."
Staff Writer Jacob Beltran contributed to this report.