San Antonio Case Study

There has been a significant surge in murder and violent crimes in San Antonio this year. “According to a recent study, the violent crime rate is projected to grow by 52.5 percent by December, the highest spike among 21 of the nation’s largest cities” (Eaton). So what is the reason for this massive increase in San Antonio crime? The San Antonio police chief, William McManus stated that “there is no one reason why violent crime and murder are rising so fast — both locally and nationwide” (Eaton). His answer coincides with my hypothesis and research outcomes as well. My research shows that San Antonio’s crime rate increase can be attributed to a myriad of social, economic, and governmental factors. These include, but are not limited to, population

An academic study done on violent crime in San Antonio for the SciVerse Science Direct journal analyzes how built in environmental characteristics influence such a diverse and rapidly growing city. San Antonio’s population consists of 60% Hispanics, a poverty rate of over 18%, a teenage birth rate of 39/1000, and a homicide rate of 6.9 per 100,000 (302). The results of the study indicate that residential instability, poverty and low education rates are the biggest factors contributing to San Antonio’s crime increase (not forgetting the obvious population increase contribution). Almost 7% of San Antonio homes are “vacant” while 40% are rented, not owned (Sparks 304). The author explains that rented homes are usually what are inhabited by single mothers, military members, minorities, and lower income families that have increased chances of poverty and susceptibility to criminal involvement (Sparks 305). O’Sullivan shows how the relationship between crime and wage is very elastic, so a 10% increase in wages would lead to a 10% decrease in crime. In San Antonio’s case, the unstable nature of land use creates a lower opportunity cost for committing property crimes on vacant areas. A detailed map in the study showed how the north and northwestern areas of San Antonio with more housing turnover and housing construction consequently

San Antonio is facing a market failure due to the high presence of area crime associated with the cities police department inefficiency, poverty rate, and inability to sustain its rapidly growing population. San Antonio has started to look into initiatives to increase their police force, work with different agencies and stop crime at the root. However, a lot of these initiatives started after the crime increase or are not at a large enough scale yet to keep up with the market failures of this growing