© 2026 Texas Public Radio
Real. Reliable. Texas Public Radio.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Police Chief William McManus speeds up retirement, skipping out on budget season

SAPD Chief William P. McManus at the 2024 event City of San Antonio Community Coming Together: Working Beyond the March, at Pittman Sullivan Park.
Brenda Bazán
/
San Antonio Report
SAPD Chief William P. McManus at the 2024 event City of San Antonio Community Coming Together: Working Beyond the March, at Pittman Sullivan Park.

Police Chief William McManus is speeding up his retirement to accept a new job — leaving San Antonio city leaders to appoint a temporary replacement.

McManus was expected to retire Sept. 30, but will now exit the role July 10, according to the city.

The search for his successor is ongoing, but the city plans to choose an acting chief from within the San Antonio Police Department command before McManus’ last day.

Interviews for San Antonio’s next police chief will take place in August, with a final selection expected in September.

McManus has served as San Antonio’s chief since April 17, 2006, overseeing major shifts in public safety and policing in the city — including changes in leadership, department growth, and evolving community expectations around accountability and transparency.

In recent months, he’s clashed with Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones after details about the mayor’s police security were leaked to the press amid a fight about funding for new officers.

By retiring early, McManus won’t be around for the city budget debates this fall.

San Antonio faces a major budget deficit and a trial budget presented in June called for major tax increases and spending cuts just to close the gap — without adding any new officers.

This is a breaking story that will be updated.

This story originally appeared in the San Antonio Report.

Andrea Drusch writes about local government for the San Antonio Report. She's covered politics in Washington, D.C., and Texas for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, National Journal and Politico.