New San Antonio police union leader accuses reformers of “trying to divide our city”

SANTO ANTÓNIO – As the city and the San Antonio Police Association (SAPOA) are about to start negotiating a new police contract, the new union president gave a press conference on Monday with police chief William McManus, aiming at a group of activists they said were “trying to divide our city. “

“And they are doing this by misrepresenting the boss’s statements and lying about the true intentions of the radical anti-police agenda,” said John “Danny” Diaz, president-elect of the San Antonio Police Association. “The Fix SAPD group is door-to-door lying to voters and saying that they are from the police department and that they have the support of Chief McManus. These out-of-state political agents are financed by obscure special interest groups. ”

Diaz said SAPD has received reports from citizens saying that members of the Fix SAPD group “are being physically aggressive in their efforts to get their signatures on a petition to weaken and strip the police.”

Ananda Tomas, from Fix SAPD, denied that group members are saying they have SAPD or SAPOA in an interview with KSAT, saying that it is “misinformation that is being spread”. She also said that group members are not harassing residents.

She told KSAT that the group’s name appears to be confusing residents.

“So we are not saying that we have SAPD. I believe that people are getting confused because the name is Fix SAPD. Sometimes it is difficult to hear through a mask. Sometimes, people are not listening at all. So that’s where the confusion is going on, ”said Tomas.

Tomas said the group collected “tens of thousands of signatures”, but did not detail how many “for obvious reasons”.

Fix SAPD says on his website that “he wants to talk about how to get rid of barriers to maintain the decisions made by the Chief of Police about the functioning of his department”. Its members have been circulating petitions to place two state laws in local ballot boxes for voters in San Antonio to overthrow.

One of the laws – chapter 174 – gives police the possibility of obtaining a union contract through collective bargaining, while the other – chapter 143, also known as “civil service” – provides the basis on which much of that contract is based .

The adoption of the two chapters must be approved by local voters, which were in 1947 and 1974, respectively, but can also be revoked. This requires a petition to put the issues on the ballot and then voter approval at the ballot box.

If the group succeeds with their petitions, voters may end up considering the matter in the May election.

McManus avoided any direct criticism of the activists during the press conference, leaving the barbs to Diaz, but McManus said he heard complaints about groups collecting signatures for a petition. He did not provide details.

The boss has always opposed the current union contract and how it impairs his ability to discipline officials. Fix SAPD even uses a quote from McManus, taken from an interview with San Antonio Express News, on its website – “Good officers don’t need these protections”.

However, the boss’s presence at the press conference seemed to be at least tacit opposition to Fix SAPD’s objectives.

When pressed about whether he was opposed to the group’s petitions, McManus said: “Let me answer this way, I am not against collective bargaining. I think the problems we have can be clarified at the negotiating table. “

The press conference takes place at the moment the City Council and the union begin to discuss the details of a new contract that will determine everything from salaries and overtime to training and disciplinary procedures. The current contract expires after September, but can be extended temporarily if a new agreement is not reached by then.

The press conference was also the first public stage for Diaz, who will replace longtime SAPOA president Mike Helle, with whom McManus often ran head-on. Helle announced in June that he would step down, and with Diaz’s election, McManus said “we rounded the corner”.

“It is a breath of fresh air to enter a new era, to know that we will work together with SAPOA on common goals,” said Diaz.

Diaz said that he and McManus are “united in our common goal to protect and serve the people of San Antonio”.

The chief said he had two main concerns with the contract he plans to correct.

One is how arbitration is set up. McManus said he has problems with the current 180-day schedule that is used when a complaint or misconduct occurs versus how long the SAPD is allowed to resolve it. He wants the 180-day schedule to be adjusted so that it starts when the SAPD becomes aware of the occurrence, not when it occurred.

McManus also said he has a problem with a “two-year retrospective” period that prevents SAPD from looking back more than two years into an official’s previous disciplinary history.

Contract negotiations are due to begin this month, although no date has yet been set. McManus will not be part of the negotiations.

The current police contract and various protections it offers police officers accused of misconduct have been the focus of reformers who want to add more responsibility and discipline within the department, particularly as international protests against police brutality have put a spotlight on police conduct the past few months.

Chief McManus said late last year that the current contract and state laws “protect bad officers” in an interview with KSAT.

RELATED: As each member of the San Antonio City Council says it would change the police collective bargaining agreement

McManus said the current disciplinary process, which allows a dismissed police officer to request a hearing with a third-party arbitrator, has caused consequences for misconduct to be unclear or final.

Although the discipline of the officer was a topic of discussion during the negotiations on the current contract, which was signed in late 2016, health care for the officer ended up being the subject that both sides investigated.

When asked about Monday’s joint press conference, city manager Erik Walsh said the following in a statement:

“The main message of the press conference is that SAPOA and the city of San Antonio are looking to improve working relationships for the benefit of the community. We plan to start negotiations in good faith with SAPOA on a new collective bargaining agreement earlier this year. Police accountability and transparency remain the city’s top priorities in both the Collective Bargaining Agreement and the next Texas Legislative Session. Both the union contract and the state law have provisions that limit the ability of the city manager and the chief to discipline police officers for violations, so we are looking for a double way to rebalance these issues in the future. ”

SEE MORE INFORMATION: