City Manager Appoints New Police Chief
Published on September 02, 2026
Jesse Salame, a 27-year veteran of the San Antonio Police Department and San Antonio native, tapped to lead SAPD in the future.
SAN ANTONIO (September 2, 2026) – San Antonio City Manager Erik Walsh has appointed Assistant Jesse Salame as the next Chief of the San Antonio Police Department. Following a nationwide search, Chief Salame emerged as the ideal candidate due to his exceptional leadership of all aspects of the San Antonio Police Department.
Chief Salame is a native San Antonian who joined the SAPD in June 1999. “Over the past 27 years, Jesse has steadily moved through the ranks, spending 15 years in the field and investigative units, demonstrating exceptional leadership and commitment to the police services provided to the community every day,” said Erik Walsh. “I have the utmost confidence in Jesse’s ability to lead the San Antonio Police Department in its mission to improve quality of life in San Antonio by creating a safe environment in partnership with the people they serve. Throughout his tenure, he has prioritized relationships across the City organization, throughout the community and among SAPD employees at all levels. His vision of a department built on trust, respect and transparency make him the ideal choice to lead the police department into the future.”
Salame was appointed Deputy Police Chief in December 2022, serving as Chief of Staff and overseeing Internal Affairs, Training Academy, Public Information Office and Open Records. While in this role, Jesse championed the creation of SAPD’s Officer Wellness Unit and was a key contributor in SAPD becoming the first law enforcement agency in the nation to achieve Level 1 Foundational Trauma-Informed Care Organizational Certification. Jesse was also appointed as SAPD’s LGBTQ+ Liaison Officer, serving as a command-level representative with the LGBTQ+ community. He provided strategic leadership for Recruitment & Staff operations, overseeing efforts that resulted in the appointment of over 1,000 police cadets since 2022.
In 2024, Jesse was appointed Assistant Chief of the Operations Support Bureau, providing executive oversight of specialized investigative and support divisions, including Homicide, Special Victims Unit, Covert Operations, Fusion Center, Mental Health Unit and SA CORE (Community Outreach and Resiliency Effort). In this role, he served as SAPD’s representative on a multi-agency mental health diversion and recovery committee comprised of City, County, healthcare and criminal justice leaders working to develop strategic initiatives that expand diversion opportunities, enhance behavioral health response systems, and improve outcomes for individuals with mental health, intellectual disabilities and substance abuse needs. Most recently, on July 11, he began leading the whole San Antonio Police Department as Acting Police Chief.
His appointment follows a lengthy nationwide search that involved input from stakeholders from the San Antonio community through several stages of the process. Interviews included two panels of community members selected by the Mayor and each Councilmember representing their district, one panel of community stakeholders and one panel of 12 randomly selected SAPD employees. City Manager Walsh and Deputy City Manager María Villagómez met with the top candidates that emerged from the interview process. Based on these conversations, Walsh appointed Chief Salame. On September 10, 2026, the City Council is scheduled to confirm the appointment.