Public Safety Dashboard: Police Response

Definitions

Call for Service

A call for service is when someone requests Police assistance through 9-1-1, the non-emergency number, in-person, or is self-initiated by an officer in the field. A call for service does not mean that a crime necessarily took place.

Field Contact Report

A field contact report can be generated anytime an officer comes into contact with an individual and the officer needs to document the contact, but there are no criminal offenses, charges, or other reasons to document the interaction.

No Complainant

Callers frequently contact the Police but want to remain anonymous. An example would be when an anonymous caller reports a car speeding in their neighborhood, but when an officer arrives, nothing is found. In those cases, the officer can choose to put a disposition on the call, indicating there was no complainant to contact.

Outside Agency

Cases that occurred in another jurisdiction and are outside the purview of the SAPD can be closed with a disposition indicating that another agency is responsible for handling the incident. Examples include individuals involved in a crash in another municipality. Since the crash did not happen in San Antonio, the agency with jurisdiction where the crash occurred must handle the report.

Traffic Activity

Traffic activity can be traffic stops, pedestrian stops, crashes that do not require a report (such as no injury crashes on private property), and traffic concerns, such as animal in the roadway.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How are calls for service calculated?

Calls for service only include calls for the San Antonio Police Department and Park Police. If multiple calls are made for the same incident, these are only counted as one call for service.

Why do the North St. Mary's and Central Service Areas have fewer calls for service than other service areas?

The size of the service area can impact calls for service, as can variables such as construction, traffic, and population density. North St. Mary's is the smallest, newest, and least populated geographic area and Central is the second smallest. The North St. Mary's Substation opened in May 2024.

What variables should I consider when looking at calls for service by hour of day?

Increased traffic flow results in traffic crashes, which increases calls for service. Other factors include when people wake up or arrive home from work and find property stolen or the times of the day when bars, clubs, or significant events close.

When are officers required to make a report? Why do officers sometimes not make a report for a call for service?

Typically, officers will only write reports when reporting criminal offenses, those incidents where an offense police report is required, or other major incidents that are non-criminal in nature but are of such magnitude that need to be documented in a police report. Read more information on SAPD's procedures for report writing.

Calls for Service (Reporting) Page

What types of calls make up "Information"?

Any incident in which an individual reports an issue that does not rise to a criminal offense but still warrants documentation can be generated as an "Information" or "Other" report. Issues include civil disputes between neighbors, domestic arguments that do not involve violence or a criminal offense, etc.

What types of calls make up "Other"?

Any incident in which an officer writes an official report. There are approximately 21 specific report categories and an officer may select "Other" when the event does not fit into one of these categories.

What types of calls make up "Other Disposition"?

Any incident in which no official report or documentation is required because no criminal activity took place, such as Abandoned Vehicle, Stand By, Return Call, No Show: Exchange of Children, Occupant Did Not Call, Animal Call, Panic Alarms, False Alarms, etc.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How are response times calculated?

Response time is the amount of time from phone pickup at the 911 Call Center to when the first responding officer arrives. It only includes calls where an officer was dispatched. Response times under 4 seconds are excluded to remove calls initiated by officers in the field.

Why is median used instead of average when looking at time-based metrics?

In datasets where there are extreme outliers, median presents a more accurate representation of the ‘true center’ of the dataset. Sometimes the patrol car GPS fails to capture when officers arrive to the location of a call for service and this can lead to extremely long response times that are inaccurate. Median accounts for these anomalies more accurately than average.

What factors can affect response times across different service areas?

Factors such as geographic size, construction, and traffic congestion can impact response time. If many calls for service are received at the same time then response time will be affected as calls are handled by order of priority.

Why are the response times on the Dashboard different than what the department has reported in the past?

The Dashboard reflects the median, where the department has historically used average. Additionally, the Dashboard calculates response time over the calendar year (January to December) whereas Police response times are often calculated over the fiscal year (October to September).

An offense report is a document describing a potential criminal event. Multiple offenses can be reported from a single event.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Are offense reports related to arrest reports?

Yes, most arrest reports will also have an offense report except for minor violations such as arrests for traffic citations, warrants, public intoxication, etc.

Where do the offense problem types come from?

For purposes of consistency and ease of comparison, the Police Dashboard uses the same problem types as the FBI's crime data called NIBRS.

Why does the number of murders on the Police Dashboard differ from the numbers the Department reports in other ways?

There are several instances where a report may be initiated as something other than a murder, such as an apparent sudden death or suicide. Then, through investigation, it is found the individual was murdered. In those cases, the report will be amended. Due to the nature of investigations, cases frequently evolve as information is found and this can cause a fluctuation in reported numbers.

In the "severity" category for arrests, what is a "Ladder Crime"?

A ladder crime is an offense that includes progressive penalties for repeat offenders. Offenses such as evading arrest, thefts, assaults, and sex crimes may have additional penalties based on circumstances such as the number of convictions they have, the monetary amount of property stolen, bias motivation (hate crimes), etc.