In November 2018, Democrat Joe Gonzales was elected Bexar County District Attorney with the financial backing of liberal billionaire George Soros. Gonzalez takes office officially on January 1st, but there seems to be some evidence of a more liberal, perhaps anti-police, atmosphere taking hold at the DA’s office.

In a disturbing trend, prosecutors in the Bexar County DA’s office have failed to bring charges (called “no billed”) against suspects who have physically assaulted, injured, and in some cases, almost killed San Antonio police officers. Protecting the lives of police officers is as vital as any duty of the county judicial system. 

Here are three examples reported by the SAPD of “no billing” by the DA Office in 2018:

Case 1: A police officer was attacked while investigating a disturbance and he received a concussion. The suspect was also injured as the officers subdued him. The SAPD later cleared the police officers of any wrongdoing in the incident, but the suspect was “no billed” and no charges were filed against him by the DA’s office for assaulting an officer.

Case 2: A suspect attacked and injured an officer during a routine check. During the attack, the suspect attempted to take the officer’s weapon. An off-duty officer witnessed the attack and came to the officer's aid. The injured officer was transported to the hospital with injuries including a concussion. The case resulted in a “no billed” and no charges by the DA’s office against the suspect.

Case 3: An unarmed off-duty police officer was shot six times in a parking lot altercation with a suspect. The off-duty officer managed to crawl back to his vehicle and retrieve his weapon to returned fire. He and struck the suspect multiple times. Incredibly, the D.A.’s office has blamed the off-duty officer for the incident and justified the suspect’s shooting of the unarmed officer. There was “no bill” by the DA’s office and no charges against the suspect.

Police officers are an essential part of the justice system and government. Their duties are vital to enforcing laws and maintaining a civilized and safe society.

Sadly, many liberal politicians portrayed all police officers as community bullies, and the police, in general, have been villainized by popular culture. Tragically, 140 officers have died in the line of duty in 2018 to date, the highest number ever, as respect for police officers has been undermined in many communities.

Michael Helle, president of the San Antonio Police Officers’ Association, said, “Prosecutors who fail to bring charges against those who assault police officers owe the community some answers. Time after time, rather than supporting our officers, they side with those who assault and injure them.”

San Antonio and Bexar County citizens can only hope that incoming District Attorney Joe Gonzalez protects officers and prosecutes those who assault and almost kill them. When there is a perception that the local judicial system doesn’t support the police, the community is in trouble.