A routine meeting between San Antonio's mayor and cadets at the city's police academy is taking a more serious tone, today, thanks to a spike in the number of incidents where suspects have shot at cops, killing one, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
"Unfortunately what we've seen over the past week,over the past week, over the past couple of years, it's difficult to see as a community member," Mayor Ron Nirenberg tells Newsradio 1200 WOAI.
He's traveling to the south side police academy this morning to meet with more than four dozen cadets who are graduating, and about to hit the streets.
"The reality is their jobs are dangerous. They've always been that way," he explains. "We want to make sure they know that they are appreciated."
Last week, there were two police shootings. One involved two cops trying to arrest three men in a car at an apartment complex off Ingram Road. Someone in the back seat pulled a gun and shot one officer in the gut. In a separate shooting, police tried to pull over a car on W.W. White on the southeast side. The driver sped off and led police on a chase that ended at the home where the car was registered on West Woodlawn.
"There were officers that were waiting for him. They set up tactically. When the suspect got out of the car, he started shooting at officers," Chief William McManus said Friday.
Last month, Officer Miguel Moreno was killed and Officer Julio Cavazos was wounded while investigating petty crime near San Antonio College.
Last year, Police Detective Benjamin Marconi was killed in an ambush in front of police headquarters. If you add in the death of San Antonio Fire Fighter Scott Deem, this has been the deadliest period of time for San Antonio first responders since the late 1980s.
Mayor Nirenberg said he's had several meetings with Chief McManus, figuring out ways to keep officers safe."They've stepped forward to do the most difficult job that our city has to offer."