The Bexar County sheriff wants the department to have an in-house crime statistics analyst again

Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar on Tuesday called on county commissioners to reinstate a crime statistics analyst position in his department following a spike in violent crime this year.

Salazar explained that attempts to fill the position were frozen and then a person from the county's Internet Technology Department took over the position for a while before being deployed by the military.

Salazar told commissioners he wanted the position back in his department to better determine when and where high levels of repeat criminal activity might occur.

“We really need our own in-house … crime analyst who can tell us which parts of the county are red in terms of heat depending on what day of the week it is and other factors,” the sheriff said.

Salazar said the analysis helps them fight crime in troubled areas. A majority of county commissioners appeared willing to work with the sheriff to restore the position.

Salazar said year-end crime reports, like those provided by the FBI, can be “immediate” enough to combat crime trends in real time.

The county's murder rate this year has already surpassed that of all of 2023, and there are still two months left in this year. About half of the county's homicides this year, or nine deaths, were related to domestic violence.

More than half a million people live in unincorporated areas of Bexar County, according to county officials.

Far West Bexar County continues to experience a population explosion, with new homes popping up between Loop 1604 and the Medina County border.

County commissioners voted in the last budget cycle to add 41 employees to the sheriff's office, including patrol deputies.