I had a friend that was on the went through the SAPD process when we started the police academy at San Antonio college. We finished the 9 month academy and he was still waiting. Also depending on your age, which i think is over 36 years, you don't qualify for the SAPD retirement package and have to go with TMRS, which is more like a 401K plan.
They are very strict on there drug use, pretty much get disqualified for life. Pretty much the only drug that could have used in the past was Marijuana. When I was in the academy, our instructor who was a retired SAPD Captain, told us that they disqualifed a female who was drugged at a bar.