[Public Safety Committee on February 11, 2025.]
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START THE COMMITTEE MEETING.UM, I'M AMY PECK, CHAIR OF THE COMMITTEE.
TODAY WE ARE JOINED IN CHAMBERS BY COUNCIL MEMBER RAMIREZ AND COUNCIL MEMBER CARTER.
WE ARE ALSO JOINED IN PERSON, UM, HERE IN CHAMBERS.
STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON'S OFFICE.
COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN'S OFFICE COUNCIL MEMBER EVAN SHABAZZ'S, OFFICE COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS'S OFFICE.
COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO'S, OFFICE MAYOR PRO TIM CASTEX, TATUM'S OFFICE.
AND VIRTUALLY WE ARE JOINED, UM, BY STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER PLUMMER'S OFFICE.
TODAY WE WILL HAVE ONE PRESENTATION.
IT WILL BE THE OVERVIEW OF FISCAL YEAR 24 AND FISCAL YEAR 25, PRIORITIES BY HPD.
IF YOU'D LIKE TO COME UP AND IF YOU COULD INTRODUCE YOURSELF AND ANYONE IN THE AUDIENCE AS WELL.
I'M THE ASSISTANT CHIEF OF HOMELAND SECURITY COMMAND FOR THE HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT.
WITH ME HERE TODAY, I HAVE EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT CHIEF JESSICA ANDERSON, UH, CAPTAIN LEE KAHN, AS WELL AS SONYA DAD.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR HAVING US.
UH, AS YOU MENTIONED, I'M HERE TO PRESENT, UH, A LOOK BACK FOR THE HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT AT 2024, PARDON ME, AS WELL AS A LOOK FORWARD TO WHAT WE EXPECT AND OUR PRIORITIES FOR 2025.
SO, FOR OUR LOOK BACK, WE'LL LOOK AT, UH, CRIME TRENDS, OF COURSE, THE MEAT AND POTATOES, WHAT THE PUBLIC LOOKS AT IN, UH, EVALUATING POLICE DEPARTMENT.
WE'RE GONNA HAVE A REVIEW OF OUR STAFFING AND OUR WORKFORCE.
WE'LL LOOK AT OUR COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS, OUR SUCCESSES, AS WELL AS OPERATIONAL CHALLENGES THAT WE EXPERIENCED THIS PAST YEAR.
SO WE'LL START WITH THE CRIME TRENDS AND WE'LL DO A LOOK BACK AT, UH, BOTH A YEAR OVER YEAR REVIEW, AS WELL AS A MULTI-YEAR COMPARISON.
SO HERE WE HAVE A CALENDAR YEAR COMPARISON BETWEEN 2023 AND 2024.
YOU'LL NOTE AT THE TOP THAT OUR MURDERS ARE DOWN AGAIN YEAR OVER YEAR FROM 2023 TO NOW.
THIS IS PART OF A LARGER FIVE YEAR TREND, AND WE ARE AT A FIVE YEAR LOW.
OUR OVERALL VIOLENT CRIME NUMBERS ARE UP FROM 2023, ABOUT 4.5%.
UH, THE NOTABLE CATEGORY WITH THE LARGEST PERCENTAGE INCREASE IS HUMAN TRAFFICKING.
HUMAN TRAFFICKING INVESTIGATIONS ARE ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY GONNA BE A RESULT OF OUR PROACTIVE INVESTIGATIONS.
AND SO WHAT THIS MEANS WHEN YOU SEE THE INCREASE, IT'S ACTUALLY A REFLECTION OF A SHIFT IN PRIORITIES.
OUR VICE DIVISION HANDLES PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES FOR HUMAN TRAFFICKING INVESTIGATIONS, AND, UM, AND SO THOSE NUMBERS ARE A RESULT OF US TRYING TO SHIFT A LITTLE BIT AWAY FROM, UH, YOU KNOW, PROSTITUTION SPECIFICALLY.
IT IS, UM, UH, VERY IMPACTFUL TO CERTAIN AREAS, BUT WE ALSO WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GIVE APPROPRIATE EFFORT TOWARDS HUMAN TRAFFICKING.
SO THAT'S A RESULT OF US REACHING OUT.
IF WE DID NOT PROACTIVELY INVESTIGATE THAT, OUR NUMBERS WOULD BE LOWER.
OUR NONVIOLENT CRIME IS DOWN YEAR OVER YEAR, ABOUT SIX AND A HALF PERCENT.
AND, UH, JUST TO QUALIFY, OUR 2024 NUMBERS ARE PRELIMINARY AT THIS POINT.
IT TAKES A COUPLE MINUTES, PARDON ME, A COUPLE MONTHS FOR US TO FINISH THE REVIEW PROCESS AND FORMALLY SET OUR NUMBERS FOR 2024.
IF YOU LOOK AT OUR TOTAL REPORTED CRIME, BOTH VIOLENT AND NONVIOLENT, THERE IS AN OVERALL REDUCTION IN OVER 4%.
THIS IS A LONGER TERM OUTLOOK.
I LOOK BACK AT THE LAST FIVE YEARS THOUGH VIOLENT CRIME IS UP IN CERTAIN CATEGORIES.
THE OVERALL NUMBERS ARE AT A FIVE YEAR LOW.
WHEN EVALUATED IN THE AGGREGATE HOMICIDES AND ROBBERIES ARE AT FIVE YEAR LOWS.
THE AGGRAVATED ASSAULT WAS UP FROM 2023.
HOWEVER, IF YOU LOOK AT 2024 COMPARED TO THE OTHER YEARS IN THIS FIVE YEAR LOOKBACK, IT IS CONSISTENT AND, UH, IT IS, UH, BELOW OTHER YEARS INCLUDING 2020 AND 2021.
SO HERE WE'RE GONNA START LOOKING AT SOME OF OUR WORKFORCE CONDITION, UH, LOOKING AT, UH, RECRUITMENT, RETENTION, UM, AND THE STATUS OF OUR DEPARTMENT AS IT RELATES TO THE CITY AS
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A WHOLE POPULATION AND THE SERVICES THAT WE PROVIDE.UH, OUR TOTAL HEADCOUNT FOR HPD IS 6,324 EMPLOYEES.
THIS NUMBER REPRESENTS CLASSIFIED OFFICERS, CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES, AS WELL AS OUR CADETS.
UH, NOTABLY SINCE THIS ADMINISTRATION CAME IN, WE'VE PLACED, UH, OVER 400 CADETS, UM, TO, IN OUR, IN OUR DEPARTMENT.
I'LL HAVE YOU LOOK AT THE DEMOGRAPHICS AT THE BOTTOM FOR OUR CADETS.
AND OUR DEMOGRAPHICS FOR THE CADETS DO MATCH THE RACIAL DEMOGRAPHIC, UH, PROFILE OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
WE ALSO HAVE 24% OF OUR CADETS ARE WOMEN.
WE RECENTLY PLEDGED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE 30 FOR 30 INITIATIVE.
THAT INITIATIVE IS A PUSH TO TRY TO INCREASE THE REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN IN LAW ENFORCEMENT TO 30% OF OUR CLIENTS SWORN STAFF BY THE YEAR 2030.
OUR DEMOGRAPHICS FOR CLASSIFIED OFFICERS.
SO WE'VE MOVED FROM CADETS TO OUR SWORN PERSONNEL, AND THESE DEMOGRAPHICS DO CLOSELY MATCH, STILL MATCH THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
UM, I WILL NOTE THAT ONE KEY DEMOGRAPHIC THAT'S IMPORTANT IS OUR RETIREMENT ELIGIBILITY.
OVER HALF OF OUR OFFICERS ARE UNDER 40, BUT, UH, 46% ARE GONNA BE OVER 40 YEARS OF AGE.
APPROXIMATELY 26% OF CLASSIFIED PERSONNEL ARE RETIREMENT ELIGIBLE, AND OVER 30% OF OUR CIVILIAN STAFF IS ELIGIBLE FOR RETIREMENT.
UH, THIS REPRESENTS A SIGNIFICANT RISK AND TAKING CARE OF OUR CURRENT WORKFORCE THAT IS SO EXPERIENCED, BRINGS, UH, WISDOM, UH, TO THE JOB.
IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE KEEP THEM AS LONG AS WE CAN AS WE CONTINUE TO TRY TO IMPROVE OUR STRENGTH AND STAFFING.
SO, WITH CADET HIRING, WE HAVE ENJOYED INCREDIBLE SUPPORT FROM THE MAYOR'S OFFICE AND THIS CITY COUNCIL THROUGH THE ADDITION OF INCENTIVES THAT HAVE BEEN FORMALLY CODIFIED.
UH, PREVIOUSLY WE HAD TO MARKET OUR, UM, OUR, UH, PAY INCENTIVES WITH KIND OF AN ASTERISK WHERE WE HAD A BASE PAY, BUT WE ADDED ON THIS INCENTIVE AND THAT INCENTIVE, UH, IN HOPES OF SHOWING THAT WE WERE MORE COMPETITIVE.
WHEN YOU LOOKED AT THE TOTAL PACKAGE, THE FACT REMAINS THAT IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON, HPD IS STILL NOT COMPETITIVE WHEN YOU LOOK AT OUR PEER AGENCIES WITH RESPECT TO OUR ENTRY LEVEL PAY.
UM, BUT IT IS TREMENDOUSLY HELPFUL TO AT LEAST REMOVE THAT ASTERISK, BE ABLE TO SAY THAT THIS IS TRULY OUR BASE PAY.
UH, WE'RE NOT SUBJECT TO SOME CITY COUNCIL ACTION WHERE, OOPS, YOU HAVE A CLASS THAT DOESN'T HAVE A BONUS.
UM, THAT, THAT DYNAMIC REALLY HURT RECRUITING DIVISION.
IT MADE IT DIFFICULT AT TIMES WHILE WE WERE WAITING FOR, YOU KNOW, UH, APPROVALS TO BE ABLE TO PUT INFORMATION ON OUR MARKETING MATERIAL.
I CAN TELL YOU THAT WE HAVE SEEN AN INCREASE IN VOLUME.
WHEN YOU DO A LOOK BACK AT THE LAST FEW MONTHS OF 2024 COMPARED TO THE LAST FEW MONTHS OF 2023, WE BELIEVE THERE HAS BEEN A REAL CHANGE IN TERMS OF THE PERCEPTION OF THE STRENGTH OF OUR COMPENSATION PACKAGES.
BUT AGAIN, WE ARE NOT, UM, COMPETITIVE WHEN WE LOOK AT CERTAIN PEER AGENCIES, OTHER LARGE MUNICIPALITIES IN THE STATE OF TEXAS, UM, WE HAVE, WE HAVE RECEIVED A, UH, APPROVAL FOR THE FIREARM STIPEND THAT IS A SIGNIFICANT EXPENSE TO OUR CADETS.
UH, IT CAN COST OVER A THOUSAND DOLLARS BY THE TIME YOU PURCHASE YOUR PISTOL, UH, WEAPON MOUNTED LIGHT OPTIC SYSTEM.
AND SO TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THAT IS TREMENDOUS IN TERMS OF EASING THE BURDEN.
WE DON'T WANNA PUT OUR CADETS IN A FINANCIAL FINANCIALLY DIFFICULT SITUATION JUST TO HAVE THE EQUIPMENT THAT THEY NEED.
AND WHEN THAT HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED TO INCOMING CADETS, AS WELL AS WHEN IT WAS ANNOUNCED TO THE FIRST CLASS THAT, UH, WAS ELIGIBLE FOR THE STIPEND, IT WAS VERY WELL RECEIVED.
AND I KNOW THAT ALL OF THOSE CADETS HAVE APPRECIATED THAT TYPE OF SUPPORT.
THIS FISCAL YEAR, WE WERE APPROVED FOR A SIXTH ACADEMY CLASS.
UH, IN RECENT YEARS WE'VE BEEN GOING WITH FIVE ACADEMY CLASSES.
AND SO AGAIN, WE CONTINUE TO PUSH TO IMPROVE OUR RANKS THROUGH HIRING.
HERE YOU CAN SEE A COMPARISON OF OUR CLASSIFIED, UH, HIRING AND ATTRITION RATES, AS WELL AS OUR CIVILIAN HIRING AND ATTRITION RATES.
ON THE CLASSIFIED SIDE, WE'RE GONNA COMPARE GRADUATING CADETS WITH CLASSIFIED ATTRITION.
AND I JUST QUALIFY THAT WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT, UH, NOT EVERY CADET WHO JOINS MAKES IT TO BE A POLICE OFFICER.
SO TO MAKE IT, UH, TO MAKE IT MAKE SENSE, UH, WE'RE JUST FOCUSING ON THOSE CADETS WHO HAVE GRADUATED.
AND YOU CAN SEE, LOOKING BACK TO FY 22, WE HAD A NET LOSS.
UH, IN, IN THE NEXT SLIDE, WE ARE GOING TO SEE THAT WE HAD NET LOSSES IN OTHER YEARS AS WELL.
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MAKING UP GROUND.IT TAKES QUITE A BIT OF TIME TO UNDO THE DAMAGE THAT HAPPENS WHEN WE HAVE SLOWDOWNS.
UH, WE ARE ALSO ARE COMING ON THE HEELS OF OTHER NATIONAL EVENTS THAT HAVE MADE RECRUITING VERY CHALLENGING, UH, FOR OUR ENTIRE PROFESSION.
AND I'LL SPEAK MORE TO THAT IN A LITTLE BIT.
STAFFING CONSTRAINTS HAVE REDUCED OUR CLASSIFIED STAFFING LEVELS TO 5,238 OFFICERS TODAY COMPARED TO A PEAK OF 5,470 IN 1998.
OUR CIVILIAN WORKFORCE WHO PLAY A VITAL ROLE IN SUPPORTING OUR OPERATIONS HAS ALSO DECLINED TO 870 COMPARED TO 1,738 IN 2009.
THE POPULATION OF HOUSTON, ON THE OTHER HAND, HAS SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED WITH OVER A HALF MILLION ADDITIONAL RESIDENTS IN THE LAST 27 YEARS.
AND YET WE HAVE FEW OFFICERS TODAY THAN WE DID 27 YEARS AGO.
NUMEROUS ADDITIONAL SERVICES HAVE BEEN ADDED TO OUR DUTIES AND EXPECTATIONS, AND YET HPD WORK, HP D'S WORKFORCE HAS SEEN A DECLINE.
IF YOU CONTRAST THE OVERALL STAFFING NUMBERS WITH THE HIRING NUMBERS, IT SHOULD BE APPARENT THAT HIRING IS JUST ONE PIECE OF THE PUZZLE.
WHEN WE LOOK AT OUR TOTAL WORKFORCE, THE RETENTION PART OF THE EQUATION IS EQUALLY IMPORTANT.
IF WE WANT TO SERIOUSLY DISCUSS HOW TO GROW OUR DEPARTMENT, THIS GOES FOR BOTH CLASSIFIED AND CIVILIAN STAFF.
FOR EACH VACANT CIVILIAN POSITION, WE HAVE TO REDISTRIBUTE WORKLOAD AND JOBS TO OTHER EMPLOYEES, INCLUDING CLASSIFIED OFFICERS.
ALTHOUGH THIS SOUNDS LIKE DOOM AND GLOOM, WE SHOULD BE VERY OPTIMISTIC ABOUT OUR POTENTIAL TO GROW AND TO FILL OUR RANKS.
WE HAVE PROVEN, AND OUR RECRUITING DIVISION HAS PROVEN THAT WE ARE CAPABLE OF RECRUITING AND BRINGING IN NEW CADETS.
UH, THE KEY HERE IS TO PLUG THE HOLE TO SLOW DOWN DEPARTURES.
UM, WHEN YOU LOOK AT HPD COMPARED TO OTHER AGENCIES ACROSS THE NATION, WHAT YOU'LL ACTUALLY FIND IS THAT WE HAVE FARED FAIRLY WELL.
WE ARE FORTUNATE THAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT ESSENTIALLY MAINTAIN, MAINTAINING A STEADY STATE OF OUR STAFFING.
THERE ARE OTHER NOTABLE AGENCIES WHO HAVE HAD SIGNIFICANT DECREASES IN STAFFING, AND THEY ARE PROJECTING TO CONTINUE LOSING OFFICERS OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS.
SO WE'RE FORTUNATE TO BE IN THIS POSITION AND WE ARE IN THIS POSITION BECAUSE, UH, BECAUSE OF THE SUPPORT FROM THIS STAFF, AS WELL AS THE GREAT WORK FROM RECRUITING DIVISION.
BUT AGAIN, WE HAVE TO WORK ON THAT RETENTION PIECE, UH, SO THAT WE CAN IMPROVE AND KEEP TRACK WITH THE EXTRA BURDENS THAT ARE COMING AS THE CITY CONTINUES TO GROW.
WE DO WANNA SPEND SOME TIME TALKING ABOUT OUR COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS WITH PARTNER AGENCIES.
AND THIS INCLUDES, UH, YOU KNOW, LOCAL AGENCIES, STATE AND FEDERAL PARTNERS.
AND SO IN 2024, WE USED COLLABORATION AS A TACTIC TO ADJUST AND ACCOMMODATE FOR SOME OF OUR STAFFING CONCERNS.
WITH OUR COMBINED EFFORTS, WE'RE ABLE TO DO THINGS THAT WE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO DO IF WE JUST TRIED TO DO THINGS ALL BY OURSELVES.
SO HERE I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT, UH, ONE OF THE KEY INITIATIVES.
WE HAVE REGULARLY OVER THE YEARS HAD SMALLER COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS WHERE WE WORK WITH PARTNER AGENCIES.
UH, WORKING WITH OTHER AGENCIES IS NOT NEW, BUT THIS YEAR IN 2024, WE DID HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IS, UH, INITIATIVE IN WHICH WE PARTNERED WITH MANY AGENCIES, UH, SOME BUT NOT ALL OF WHICH ARE LISTED BELOW.
SO YOU CAN SEE THAT WE HAD DPS HARRIS COUNTY VARIOUS, UH, CONSTABLE OFFICES, SCHOOL DISTRICTS, ET CETERA, WHO WE HAVE WORKED WITH WITH THE SOUTHEAST TEXAS INTERAGENCY CRIME REDUCTION INITIATIVE.
WE FOCUSED ON HIGH CRIME AREAS, ENHANCING ROADWAY SAFETY AND CLEARING OUTSTANDING CRIMINAL WARRANTS.
UH, FOR SU FUGITIVES THAT WERE OUT IN THE PUBLIC, THE ENHANCED ROADWAY INITIATIVES SOUGHT TO TARGET VIOLENT CRIMES, SPECIFICALLY RELATED TO ROAD RAGE.
MULTIPLE AGENCIES CONDUCTED OPERATIONS THAT CONSISTED OF SATURATING TARGETED AREAS WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT TO REDUCE THE CHANCE OF ROAD RAGE INCIDENTS.
I THINK MANY PEOPLE COMMENTED ON SEEING ADDITIONAL RESOURCES, SEEING TROOPERS IN OUR AREA, SEEING AN INCREASED EFFORTS TO PATROL THE STREETS, HAVE VISIBILITY ON THE FREEWAYS, AND IT WAS NOTED BY MANY.
WE CONDUCTED THOUSANDS OF TRAFFIC STOPS WITH OUR PARTNER AGENCIES, WROTE MANY CITATIONS, ARRESTS, UH, SEIZED VEHICLES AND FIREARMS THROUGH THE CRIMINAL WARRANT INITIATIVE.
OUR MAJOR OFFENDERS DIVISION, FUGITIVE APPREHENSION TEAM, AS WELL AS THE GULF COAST VIOLENT OFFENDERS AND FUGITIVE TASK FORCE, UH, TOOK THE LEAD.
THEY WORKED WITH PARTNER AGENCIES TO DIVVY UP THE, UM, THE THOUSANDS OF WARRANTS OPEN FELONY WARRANTS THAT ARE IN, UH, HARRIS COUNTY.
WE TARGETED THOSE WHO ARE THE MOST VIOLENT, MOST PROLIFIC OFFENDERS.
AND THROUGH THIS INITIATIVE, WHICH IS DOES NOT ENCOMPASS ALL OF OUR WARRANT SERVICES, WE ARRESTED 367 SUSPECTS ON 577 FELONY WARRANTS.
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TO NOTE THIS IS JUST THROUGH THIS INITIATIVE, THERE WERE MANY MORE WARRANT SERVICES AND SUSPECTS ARRESTED ON WARRANTS JUST THROUGH OUR EVERYDAY OPERATIONS.THIS IS JUST HIGHLIGHT OF WHAT WE DID BY COLLABORATING WITH PARTNERS AND SOMETHING THAT WE COULD NOT HAVE ACHIEVED BY OURSELVES WITHOUT BRINGING THEM IN.
I'LL ALSO NOTE THAT WE HAD LOCAL LEVEL COLLABORATION.
WE WORKED WITH OUR SISTER CITY DEPARTMENTS SUCH AS THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT, UM, AS WELL AS FIRE MARSHALS.
IN ADDRESSING SOME PROBLEM BUSINESS DISTRICTS, THEY HELPED US AND BROUGHT THEIR EXPERTISE TO BEAR ON THOSE AREAS, THOSE BUSINESS DISTRICTS THAT WERE BRINGING PROBLEMS TO THE COMMUNITY, OFTEN LINKED TO QUALITY OF LIFE ISSUES.
HERE WE'LL TALK ABOUT OUR KEY OPERATIONAL CHALLENGES THAT WE FACED IN 2024.
AS DISCUSSED EARLIER, OUR STAFFING HAS BEEN A CHRONIC ISSUE THAT GOES BACK ALMOST THREE DECADES.
THERE'S A PATH FORWARD, BUT IT DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE WORK DONE YESTERDAY AND TODAY IS ANY EASIER, JUST 'CAUSE WE KNOW THAT THERE'S A PATH FORWARD.
OUR STAFFING IS FINITE, WHICH MEANS THAT OUR CAPACITY IS FINITE.
WE'VE BEEN FORCED TO PRIORITIZE IN EVERYTHING THAT WE DO.
THERE ARE MANY TIMES THAT WE WANT TO, TO DO SOMETHING, BUT WE HAVE TO MAKE DIFFICULT DECISIONS AND ASSESS WHETHER THAT DESIRE IS NICE TO HAVE, WHETHER IT'S A NEED TO HAVE, AND WHETHER THAT NEED TO HAVE IS GOING TO ADEQUATELY CONTRIBUTE TO OUR CORE FUNCTIONS, UH, IN A MANNER THAT JUSTIFIES THE AREAS THAT WE HAVE TO SACRIFICE TO DO THOSE THINGS.
WE ARE AT MAX CAPACITY AND FOR EVERYTHING THAT WE DO, WE HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL ABOUT WHAT WE ARE POTENTIALLY HAVING TO SACRIFICE IN ORDER TO ACCOMMODATE THAT.
THE BUDGET CONSTRAINTS SHOULD SPEAK FOR ITSELF WITH THIS AUDIENCE.
MOST OF THE BUDGET GOES TOWARDS PERSONNEL COSTS THAT ARE DRIVEN BY CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS.
WHAT REMAINS AFTER FULFILLING THOSE OBLIGATIONS IS A VERY LEAN BUDGET THAT OFTEN DOES NOT PROVIDE THE FLEXIBILITY TO EXPLORE CERTAIN EQUIPMENT OR INCREASE OUR CAPACITY VIA OVERTIME.
IN REALITY, WE DO NOT HAVE EFFECTIVE DISCRETIONARY FUNDS WHEN PROBLEMS ARISE.
AND INSTEAD WE'RE FORCED TO PRIORITIZE AND PIVOT, OFTEN LEADING TO UNDESIRABLE OR LESS THAN IDEAL OPTIONS.
AND LAST WE HAD THE SL REVIEW.
IN FEBRUARY, 2024, A NUMBER OF REPORTS EFFECT, UH, AFFECTED BY THE SUSPENDED LACK OF CODE SL CODE WERE IDENTIFIED.
A TOTAL OF 264 INCIDENTS WERE DISCOVERED TO BE SUSPENDED DUE TO LACK OF PERSONNEL.
THESE WERE REPORTED INCIDENTS.
I CAN SAY TODAY THAT THE DEPARTMENT HAS COMPLETED A REVIEW OF ALL OF THOSE INCIDENT REPORTS USING THE SL CODE, WE HAD AN IMMEDIATE FOCUS ON SEXUAL ASSAULT AND VIOLENT CRIMES.
ADDITIONAL ATTEMPTS WERE MADE BY PHONE, EMAIL, AND IN PERSON TO CONTACT REPORTEES OF OTHER VIOLENT CRIMES, AND THE SL CODE WAS IMMEDIATELY REMOVED.
WITH ALL THOSE CHALLENGES WE HAD SUCCESSES.
WE HAVE A TREMENDOUS TEAM, TREMENDOUS WORKFORCE.
ALL OF OUR EMPLOYEES TOGETHER, UH, WORK TOWARDS FULFILLING THE PUBLIC SAFETY MISSION OF THE HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT.
WE HAD MANY COLLABORATIVE INITIATIVES DURING THOSE, UH, INCLUDING THOSE MENTIONED EARLIER.
UH, WE'VE INCREASED OUR VISIBILITY THROUGH PARTNERSHIP WITH OTHER AGENCIES, AND WE'VE WORKED TO SURGE RESOURCES TO, UH, TO AREAS THAT REALLY IMPACT OUR COMMUNITIES, IMPACT OUR QUALITY OF LIFE, BUT ALSO HAVE A NEXUS TO CRIME.
THROUGH COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO MAKE THE MOST CONCERNING AREAS, UH, A PRIORITY, AND WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO, UH, ADDRESS SOME OF THOSE CONCERNS.
WE KNOW THAT, UH, THESE PROBLEMS ARE NOT NECESSARILY SOLVED, BUT WE'RE SHOWING AN EFFORT AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THE COM THE COMMUNITY KNOWS OUR COMMITMENT TO THEM.
EVERY YEAR, HOUSTON HOSTS MULTIPLE LARGE EVENTS IN RESPONDS TO MAJOR WEATHER EVENTS.
LAST YEAR WE HAD THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP.
WE HAVE ANNUALLY OUR REGULAR MARQUEE EVENTS THAT THE CITY OF HOUSTON HOSTS, WHICH BRINGS THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE TO THE CITY.
AND WE'VE DONE SO SUCCESSFULLY.
IN 2024, WE RESPONDED TO FLOODING IN KINGWOOD, THE DERECHO STORM IN MAY AND HURRICANE BARREL.
EACH EVENT PRESENTED ITS OWN CHALLENGES AND WE WERE NIMBLE AND ADJUSTED TO EACH OF THEM.
THE DERECHO STORM BROKE WINDOWS HERE DOWNTOWN ON A SCALE THAT WAS COMPARABLE TO WHAT WE SAW DURING HURRICANE IKE.
AND SO WE HAD TO SHUT DOWN MUCH OF DOWNTOWN IN ORDER TO PROVIDE AN EXCLUSIONARY ZONE SO THE CITY COULD RECOVER.
WHILE WITHOUT SACRIFICING OUR SERVICES TO THE REST OF THE CITY, WE ALSO HAD TO INCREASE OUR SERVICES TO AREAS THAT WERE IN THE DARK FOR SEVERAL DAYS, INCLUDING MY OWN NEIGHBORHOOD.
I WOULD BE REMISS IF I DID NOT TAKE A MOMENT HERE TO ACKNOWLEDGE AND RECOGNIZE THE LOSS OF INFORMATION SECURITY OFFICER RUSSELL RICH RICHARDSON,
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WHO TRAGICALLY LOST HIS LIFE WHILE ATTEMPTING TO REPORT TO WORK DURING HURRICANE BARROW.HE WAS EVERY BIT THE KIND AND GENTLE MAN THAT YOU HEARD ABOUT AFTER HIS DEATH.
WE'VE WORKED VERY HARD AT OUR PRIMARY, PRIMARY FUNCTION, CRIMINAL LAW ENFORCEMENT.
WE UNDERSTAND THAT WE ARE HERE TO PROVIDE FOR THE SAFETY OF OUR, OUR COMMUNITY.
IT'S NOT JUST REPORTED CRIME, BUT IT IS ALSO A PERCEPTION OF SAFETY THAT MATTERS TO OUR COMMUNITY.
OUR PROACTIVE INVESTIGATORS HAVE PRIORITIZED THINGS THAT, UH, THAT WE BELIEVE WILL IMPACT THAT SAFETY TO THE COMMUNITY.
WORKING ON SOME OF THE MOST PROLIFIC OFFENDERS, MAJOR OFFENDERS, DIVISION, GANG DIVISION, NARCOTICS, JUST TO NAME A FEW, THEY CONDUCT LONG TERM INVESTIGATIONS THAT REQUIRE LENGTHY HOURS AND, UH, ELABORATE INVESTIGATIVE TECHNIQUES TO BRING CRIMINALS TO JUSTICE.
UH, JUST ONE NOTABLE INVESTIGATION.
WE WORKED COLLABORATIVELY WITH, UH, FEDERAL AGENCIES TO ADDRESS A DIRTY BAIL BONDS BUSINESS, WHICH MADE IT EASIER FOR VIOLENT CRIMINALS TO GET OUT ON THE STREETS, UH, WITHOUT ADEQUATELY SECURING THEIR BOND.
THOSE INVESTIGATIONS TAKE COUNTLESS HOURS, NUMEROUS PEOPLE, AND THERE MIGHT NOT BE AN IMMEDIATE PAYOFF BECAUSE IT TAKES TIME FOR THESE INVESTIGATIONS TO UNFOLD, TO GATHER APPROPRIATE EVIDENCE AND TO CREATE A PROSECUTABLE CASE.
BUT THERE'S NO DOUBT THAT THESE LONG-TERM INVESTIGATIONS DO IMPACT OUR SAFETY LONG-TERM BECAUSE THESE ARE THE TYPES OF ACTIVITIES THAT, UH, PERPETUATE VIOLENT CRIMINAL ACTIVITY THAT DOES DIRECTLY IMPACT OUR COMMUNITY.
I'LL ALSO NOTE THAT WE HAVE HAD A INCREASED FOCUS ON TRAINING.
THE HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT FOR MANY YEARS HAS BEEN A LEADER AND HAS WORKED ON USING TRAUMA-INFORMED PRACTICES.
THIS LAST YEAR, WE'VE WORKED CLOSELY WITH HOUSTON AREA WOMEN'S SHELTER, USED GRANTS, WORKED WITH PARTNERS TO IMPROVE OUR TRAINING FOR OUR INVESTIGATORS WHO HANDLE THE MOST SENSITIVE INVESTIGATIONS.
OUR PRIORITIES FOR 2025 FOLLOW A CERTAIN THEME, AND THAT IS TO PUSH FOR EFFICIENCY AND AND EFFECTIVENESS.
WE WANT TO REDUCE WASTE, GET MORE OFFICERS ON THE STREETS AND CRITIC CRITICALLY EVALUATE EVERY AREA OF OUR OPERATIONS.
WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE TO EXHAUST OUR EFFORTS TO MAKE THE MOST WITH WHAT WE HAVE.
WE'RE SHIFTING AWAY FROM CRISIS THROUGH MANAGEMENT, THROUGH MANAGEMENT, THROUGH CRISIS, AND WORKING TO MAP OUT AND EXECUTE BOTH SHORT AND LONG-TERM PLANS.
WITH THAT IN MIND, WE WILL TRANSITION TO THE NEW RECORDS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IN EARLY APRIL.
THE NEW RMS HAS GREATER CAPABILITIES FROM A FUNCTIONAL STANDPOINT FOR INTERNAL PURPOSES, AS WELL AS EXTERNAL.
IT WILL SUPPORT A MORE FRIENDLY METHOD FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC TO SELF-REPORT CRIMES.
THERE WILL BE EFFICIENCIES GAINED, PARTICULARLY IN THE AREA OF CASE MANAGEMENT, WHICH IS ONE AREA THAT WE DESPERATELY NEED SUPPORT AT THIS TIME.
WE ARE RUNNING THE ENTIRE DEPARTMENT THROUGH TRAINING TO MAKE SURE WE ARE READY ONCE THE SYSTEM COMES ONLINE.
AND RIGHT NOW WE ARE ON TIME AND ON TARGET.
WE'RE WORKING TOWARDS TRANSFERRING SOME OF OUR PROPERTY ROOM OPERATIONS TO THE HOUSTON FORENSIC SCIENCE CENTER.
AND DOING SO, IT WILL BE A WIN FOR BOTH THE FORENSIC SCIENCE CENTER AS WELL AS HPD.
AS WE IMPROVE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF EVIDENCE MANAGEMENT, WE ARE ENCOURAGED BY THE COOPERATION WE ARE NOW RECEIVING FROM THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE WITH RESPECT TO THE DISPOSITION OF PROPERTY AND DRUGS THAT ARE NO LONGER REQUIRED FOR CRIMINAL JUSTICE PROCESSES.
WE'RE SEEING, PARDON ME, WE'RE SEEING MORE EFFECTIVE PROCESSING OF DESTRUCTION ORDERS SO THAT WE CAN CLEAR OUT MOUNTAINS OF DRUGS AND OTHER PROPERTY THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DISPOSED OF YEARS AGO.
MAINTAINING PROPERTY AND EVIDENCE THAT IS NO LONGER NEEDED REPRESENTS MULTIPLE HAZARDS AND RISKS TO THE DEPARTMENT AND THE CITY.
WHEN WE CANNOT DISPOSE OF PROPERTY IN A TIMELY MANNER, WE'RE WASTING SPACE, TIME, AND EFFORT.
IF THE FIRST MONTH OF THIS YEAR IS ANY INDICATION, WE SHOULD BE OPTIMISTIC ABOUT IMPROVEMENTS IN THIS AREA OF OPERATIONS THIS YEAR.
AND I'LL NOTE THAT THIS AREA, AGAIN, IT IS COLLABORATIVE.
WE RELY ON OTHER PARTS OF THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM.
IN ORDER TO DO THIS, WE CANNOT SIMPLY DISPOSE OF PROPERTY AND EVIDENCE, UH, JUST 'CAUSE WE HAVE DEEMED THAT IT'S TIME TO DO SO.
AND SO OUR PARTNERSHIP IS, UH, IS IMPORTANT BY MIDYEAR, WE EXPECT TO HAVE A NEW STATION TO HOUSE CENTRAL AND SPECIAL OPERATIONS DIVISION.
I'LL NOTE THAT SINCE HURRICANE HARVEY, WE HAVE HAD MULTIPLE DIVISIONS THAT HAVE BEEN DISPLACED AND NOT IN WORKSPACES THAT WERE PROPERLY DESIGNED FOR THOSE DIVISIONS.
ONE DIVISION, FOR EXAMPLE, IS VEHICULAR CRIMES DIVISION.
ONCE CENTRAL IS OUT OF ITS CURRENT AREA, WE'LL BE ABLE TO REFURBISH THAT SPACE, REPURPOSE IT, AND MAKE IT AN EFFECTIVE WORKING SPACE FOR VEHICULAR CRIMES DIVISION, WHICH IS CURRENTLY SPREAD ACROSS TWO WORK LOCATIONS.
THAT MEANS THAT YOUR CRASH LINE INVESTIGATOR DOES NOT NECESSARILY HAVE EASY ACCESS TO WALK DOWN THE HALL JUST
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TO TALK TO THE INVESTIGATOR WHO MIGHT BE DOING A FOLLOW UP ON A FAILURE TO STOP AND RENDER AID INVOLVING IN A FATALITY.SO NOW WE HAVE, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU'RE DEALING WITH MULTIPLE SHIFTS, COMMUNICATION, THAT'S DELAYED BECAUSE YOU HAVE SOMEONE ON, ON A DIFFERENT SHIFT AND THEY CAN'T JUST GO WALK DOWN THE HALL, UH, AND DROP A NOTE ON SOMEONE'S DESK.
ONCE WE CAN OPEN THAT BUILDING, WE'LL CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON VIOLENT OFFENDERS, SERIAL OFFENDERS.
IT WILL BE DONE THROUGH OUR INTERNAL INITIATIVES, AS WE MENTIONED EARLIER, AS WELL AS OUR COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS.
AND OF COURSE, WE'LL CONTINUE TO WORK ON BUILDING NEW RELATIONSHIPS WHILE SUSTAINING OUR OLD RELATIONSHIPS.
THE CITY OF HOUSTON HAS SURVIVED A LOT OF CHALLENGING CIRCUMSTANCES, BOTH LOCALLY BUT ALSO ON PAR WITH WHAT WE SEE ON THE NATIONAL STAGE.
BUT HOUSTON FARES WELL TIME AND AGAIN.
WE DO NOT TAKE FOR GRANTED THE FACT THAT OUR SUCCESS RELIES HEAVILY UPON OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE COMMUNITY.
WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE TO COMMITMENT TO THOSE, COMMIT TO THOSE RELATIONSHIPS, AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO DO SO THIS YEAR.
THIS CONCLUDES OUR PRESENTATION.
UH, WHAT YOU SEE IN THIS PICTURE IS, UH, THE COURTESY OF ONE OF OUR EXCELLENT CRIM CRIME INITIATIVES AND INVESTIGATIONS WHERE WE WERE ABLE TO SEIZE THIS VEHICLE, UH, FROM SOMEONE WHO WAS NOT DOING GOOD THINGS ON THE STREET.
SO HOPE EVERYONE ENJOYS THE PICTURE AND I YIELD THE FLOOR.
THANK YOU CHIEF, FOR THE PRESENTATION.
BEFORE WE GET TO QUESTIONS, UM, WE WERE JOINED BY VICE CHAIR JACKSON, UM, ALSO COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN, COUNCIL MEMBER FLICKINGER, COUNCIL MEMBER HUFFMAN AND COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN, AND ALSO STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER MARTINEZ'S OFFICE AND COUNCIL MEMBER DAVIS'S OFFICE.
SO THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR JOINING US.
UM, CHIEF, FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU FOR ALL THE WORK YOU DO AND ALL OF OUR POLICE OFFICERS.
WE KNOW HOW HARD EVERYONE WORKS EVERY SINGLE DAY.
UM, WHEN IT COMES TO OVERTIME, YOU MENTIONED THAT A LITTLE BIT.
UM, I KNOW THAT MANY DISTRICT OFFICES, INCLUDING DISTRICT A, WE SPEND A LOT OF SERVICE FUNDS ON OVERTIME AND SOMETIMES WE END UP SPENDING LESS THAN WHAT WE ALLOCATED BECAUSE THERE'S A CITYWIDE INITIATIVE, UM, FOR OVERTIME.
SO WHAT ARE THE PLANS, UM, FOR THIS YEAR AS FAR AS CITYWIDE OVERTIME FOR HPD? SO, CITYWIDE OVERTIME IS ALWAYS GONNA BE BASED UPON OVERALL NEEDS.
WE WANNA TARGET HIGH CRIME, HIGH CRIME AREAS AND DRIVE THOSE NUMBERS DOWN.
AS WE DISCUSSED WHEN WE DID OUR YEAR OVER YEAR LOOK BACK, AS WELL AS OUR FIVE YEAR LOOK BACK, THERE'S CERTAIN AREAS, CERTAIN CATEGORIES WHERE WE'RE NOT WHERE WE WANT TO BE.
WE WANNA CONTINUE TO TREND DOWN AND WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO FOCUS OUR EFFORTS ON VIOLENT CRIME.
IS THERE ANY KIND OF ADDITIONAL NUMBER BESIDES WHAT MIGHT BE IN THE BUDGET AS FAR AS THE OVERTIME IS CONCERNED? HAVE YOU HEARD ANYTHING? I'M, I'M NOT SURE EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE ASKING.
JUST IF THERE'S ANY, SOMETIMES THROUGHOUT, IN PREVIOUS FISCAL YEARS, THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, WE'VE ALLOCATED ADDITIONAL OVERTIME FUNDING, UM, THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
DO WE ANTICIPATE THAT? SO RIGHT NOW WE'RE TRYING TO BE AS EFFICIENT AND AS EFFECTIVE AS POSSIBLE.
UH, WE DID, WE ARE ON THE TAIL END OF A RECENT INFUSION OF OVERTIME FUNDS, AND WE'RE COMING TO THE TAIL END OF THAT.
AND SO I'LL LEAVE IT TO CHIEF DIAZ, UH, TO PRIORITIZE AND COME BACK WITH AN ASK.
CHIEF HOWARD, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
I KNOW A LOT OF WORK WENT ON BEHIND THE SCENES TO PUT THIS TOGETHER, UM, TO INFORM COUNCIL AND I, MY HEARTFELT APPRECIATION TO EVERY, UH, INDIVIDUAL WITHIN HPD.
UH, WE WORK VERY, VERY CLOSELY WITH THEM.
AND WE APPRECIATE THE RELATIONSHIPS, NOT ONLY WITH OUR OFFICES, BUT THE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE.
UM, WHETHER IT'S, I'M REALLY HAPPY TO SEE WE'RE MOVING FORWARD WITH, FOR EXAMPLE, WITH THE FORENSIC SCIENCE CENTER, THE TRANSITION, WHICH IS GONNA FREE UP MORE PERSONNEL, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, ALCORN AND I AND OTHERS CONTINUE, UH, TO PUSH ON THE CONSOLIDATION EFFORTS, NEW FACILITIES, ALL OF THAT.
WHEN WE TALK ABOUT, UM, DRUG DISPOSAL, RIGHT.
DOING SO SAFELY AND HAVING THE EQUIPMENT TO DO SO SAFELY, THAT'S BEEN A HUGE, HUGE CHALLENGE.
I ALSO WANNA EXPRESS MY APPRECIATION FOR HPDS PARTNERSHIP, UH, THROUGH OUR LOCK IT UP SAFE INITIATIVE.
UH, WE'RE CONTINUING TO WORK WITH OUR OFFICE OF COMMUNITY AFFAIRS WITHIN HPD, UH, SPEAKING WITH SCHOOLS, SPEAKING WITH FAMILIES IN THE COMMUNITY ABOUT SAFE STORAGE.
DO WE HAVE NUMBERS YET ON THE LAST YEAR? SO EVERY YEAR, UH, HPD WILL REPORT HOW MANY FIREARMS WERE STOLEN OUT OF A VEHICLE.
DO WE HAVE THOSE NUMBERS FOR THIS PAST YEAR? REPORTED STOLEN? UH, WE'LL, WE'LL BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THAT.
WE'LL PROVIDE A RESPONSE SUBSEQUENTLY IN WRITING.
THE, THE AVERAGE IS ABOUT 4,500 GUNS PER YEAR ARE STOLEN FROM CITIZENS VEHICLES.
AND OF COURSE, WE NEED HELP FROM THE PUBLIC TO BE MORE DILIGENT IN HOW THEY SECURE 'EM AND CERTAINLY APPRECIATE THE EFFORTS THROUGH THE GUN SAFE PROGRAMS. BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE JUST NEED CITIZENS TO NOT LEAVE THEIR WEAPONS
[00:30:01]
IN THEIR GUN, PARDON ME, IN THEIR CARS.IT, UH, IT'S VERY CHALLENGING AND IT'S A 100% PREVENTABLE CRIME.
AND AGAIN, 4,500 REPORTED, THAT'S NOT WHAT HAS NOT BEEN REPORTED.
AND THAT MEANS GUNS ON THE STREET.
UM, REALLY EXCITED TO HEAR ABOUT THE NEW CENTRAL STATION.
IF SOMEBODY COULD BRIEF ME ON THAT, OUR OFFICE WILL REACH OUT.
BUT THAT IS SO DESPERATELY NEEDED FOR SO LONG.
UH, SO I'M HAPPY TO HEAR THAT THAT'S MOVING FORWARD.
AS IT RELATES TO RMS, AGAIN, UH, IT, WHEN I, WHEN I CHAIRED THIS COMMITTEE, THAT WAS, THAT ALONG WITH CAD WAS A HUGE, HUGE PRIORITY.
UH, DO WE HAVE THE ESTIMATED, I THINK YOU MAY HAVE SAID IT, UH, THE ESTIMATED LAUNCH DATE FOR THAT? APRIL 1ST.
AND, UH, WE, WE ARE ON TIME AND ON TARGET.
AGAIN, THAT IS A HUGE DEAL, UH, FOR THE DEPARTMENT.
AND I WOULD SAY FOR HOUSTONIANS.
UH, IN TERMS OF THE BENEFITS THAT WE'RE GONNA SEE AS IT RELATES TO RMS, UH, ONE OUTSTANDING QUESTION I HAD, UH, WILL IT HAVE THE CAPABILITY TO SPEAK WITH AND, UH, WORK WITH ECE, THE A TF PARTNERSHIP? I, I DON'T SEE WHY IT WOULD NOT, I WILL HAVE TO FOLLOW UP WITH YOU.
WE'LL PROVIDE A RESPONSE FROM OUR OFFICE OF PLANNING AND DATA GOVERNANCE IN TERMS OF WHAT THE INTERFACE CURRENTLY IS WITH RMS AND WHAT THAT NEW INTERFACE IS GONNA LOOK LIKE.
I WOULD APPRECIATE, 'CAUSE AGAIN, THAT PART, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THE COLLABORATIVE PARTNERSHIPS AND THE, UH, EFFORTS TO REDUCE CRIME AND GOING BACK TO FIREARMS OUT OF THE HANDS OF PEOPLE THAT SHOULD NOT HAVE 'EM, ETRA IS ONE OF THOSE REALLY CRITICAL COMPONENTS THAT I HOPE WE ARE INTEGRATING INTO RMS. UH, SO THAT WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL TO KNOW.
AND I WOULD, UH, MADAM CHAIR JUST REFER, UH, THE PUBLIC OR COUNCIL MEMBERS.
WE'VE HAD A LOT OF PREVIOUS COMMITTEE MEETINGS, UH, OVER THE YEARS ON THE RMS SYSTEM, AND FOLKS CAN GO BACK AND REFER TO THOSE, UH, FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.
DO WE HAVE AN UPDATE? I HAD BEEN WORKING, UH, WITH, UH, THE DEPARTMENT AS IT PERTAINS TO, FOR LACK OF A BETTER WORD, SURVEILLANCE POLICIES, IS WE'RE IMPROVING AND HARNESSING TECHNOLOGY, UH, WHICH HELPS OUR FORCE, IT HELPS WITH SAFETY.
WHEN IT CAME TO, FOR EXAMPLE, OUR LICENSE PLATE READERS, WE PUT SPECIFIC RULES AND SAFEGUARDS IN PLACE TO PREVENT ABUSES, WHETHER THROUGH THE COMPANIES THAT WE'RE USING OR SUFFICIENT TRAININGS AND PROTOCOLS AND REDUNDANCIES WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT.
A SIMILAR EFFORT WAS UNDERWAY AS IT PERTAINS TO ADDITIONAL TECHNOLOGIES THAT HPD IS GONNA BE TAKING ON.
AGAIN, THOSE DON'T NECESSARILY COME BEFORE COUNCIL.
BUT DO WE HAVE AN UPDATE ON, UH, THOSE MORE COMPREHENSIVE POLICIES AS IT PERTAINS TO NEWER TECHNOLOGIES? I KNOW THAT, I KNOW THAT POLICIES ARE, UH, CONSTANTLY DEVELOPED AND REVIEWED.
AND AS NEW TECHNOLOGY COMES ONLINE, WE ARE SENSITIVE TO THE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR POLICIES ARE UP TO DATE SO THAT WE, UH, ABIDE BY OUR GUIDING, OUR GUIDING PRINCIPLES.
UM, OUR USE OF SURVEILLANCE IS RESTRICTED TO CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS.
WE DO NOT SURVEIL OUTSIDE OF, UH, A VALIDATED CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION.
AND, UH, OUR POLICIES ARE, LIKE I SAID, CURRENTLY UNDER REVISION.
IF I COULD GET JUST AN UPDATE, EVEN IF IT'S OFFLINE ON THE STATUS OF THAT.
UH, IT'S NOT JUST FOR INTERNALLY WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT, BUT IT'S ALSO THE DATA SHARING, UH, OUTSIDE OF THE DEPARTMENT WITH THOSE PRIVATE COMPANIES.
AND WE HAVE A VERY, I WOULD SAY, WELL-ROUNDED AND GOOD POLICY FOR PROTECTING, UH, HOUSTONIANS PRIVACY.
UH, BUT IF I COULD GET AN UPDATE ON WHERE THAT STANDS AND IF I COULD GO BACK IN QUEUE.
THANK YOU CHIEF HOWARD FOR THAT PRESENTATION.
APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK THAT YOU DO.
AND WOULD ALSO NOTE WE HAVE CHIEF, UH, ANDERSON AND, UH, CAPTAIN CONN WITH YOU TODAY.
APPRECIATE EVERYTHING Y'ALL DO.
LET ME START BY JUST GIVING YOU GUYS KUDOS FOR THE HIGH DEGREE OF PROFESSIONALISM THAT HPD EXHIBITS.
AND, YOU KNOW, THE LATEST EXAMPLE WAS THE, UH, IMMIGRATION POLICY PROTEST FROM A COUPLE WEEKS AGO.
YOU KNOW, AS FAR AS COMPLAINTS THAT I, UH, WAS AWARE OF.
IN CONTRAST, YOU KNOW, THERE WAS ONE NORTH OF THE CITY THAT A LOT OF COMPLAINTS WERE MADE ABOUT.
AND, UM, NO ONE PRAISES YOU WHEN YOU DO A GOOD JOB, YOU JUST HEAR THE COMPLAINTS WHEN SOMETHING GOES AWRY.
AND THAT DOESN'T SEEM TO HAPPEN VERY OFTEN, ESPECIALLY ON THESE LARGE OPERATIONAL, UH, THINGS THAT HPD DOES.
SO KU FOR THAT, KUDOS, KUDOS TO HPD FOR THAT.
I WANTED TO VISIT WITH YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE
[00:35:01]
CRIME CON COMPARISON, THE ANNUAL CRIME COMPARISON.AND SO I NOTICED THAT THE OFFENSE CATEGORIES DON'T TRACK, UH, THE STATE DEFINITIONS FOR OFFENSES.
IS THAT BECAUSE THESE ARE, ARE THESE FBI CATEGORIES, OR HOW DOES THAT WORK? SO I THINK THAT OVER TIME THE GENERAL PUBLIC HAS A GENERAL AWARENESS OF THE MULTIPLE.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, UNDER MURDER, THERE'S A NUMBER OF CRIMINAL OFFENSES THAT WE'RE GONNA COUNT TOWARDS MURDER.
AND I THINK THE GENERAL PUBLIC WILL RECOGNIZE THAT.
AND WE DON'T NEED TO BREAK OUT TO THEM A CAPITAL MURDER, FIRST DEGREE MURDER, UH, YOU KNOW, A MANSLAUGHTER CASE.
THEY UNDERSTAND THAT ALL THOSE COLLECTIVELY MAKE UP MURDER.
AND SO IN ORDER TO MAKE SOMETHING THAT'S JUST EASIER FOR THE PUBLIC TO UNDERSTAND, UNDERSTANDING THAT THERE'S MULTIPLE OFFENSE TYPES THAT FIT UNDER THIS BROAD CATEGORY, IT HELPS US PROVIDE AN APPLES TO APPLES COMPARISON.
WHEN WE'RE LOOKING BACK AT DATA, UH, WE CHOOSE TO, UH, COLLECT AND, UH, DISTRIBUTE THE INFORMATION SO THAT IT'S CATEGORIZED MORE BROADLY IN A WAY THAT, THAT PEOPLE SEEM TO UNDERSTAND.
AND I GUESS WHAT I'M GETTING AT IS THAT THESE CATEGORIES, THESE DEFINITIONS ARE, ARE NOT CHANGING FROM YEAR TO YEAR.
UH, SO THAT YOU GET AN ACCURATE READ OVER TIME BECAUSE THE LEGISLATURE WILL CREATE, YOU KNOW, PROBABLY ANOTHER WAY TO COMMIT AGGRAVATED ASSAULT, YOU KNOW, OR, UM, SO AND SO FORTH.
BUT THESE ARE, UH, THIS, THIS IS A GOOD MEASURE OF, OF TRENDS YEAR, YEAR OVER YEAR GEN, GENERALLY SPEAKING, IT'S, IT'S A GOOD APPLES TO APPLES COMPARISON.
UH, IF WE GO FURTHER BACK TO WHEN, FOR EXAMPLE, STRANGULATION BECAME A FELONY, UH, FOR FAMILY VIOLENCE CASES, WE SAW DEFINITELY A CHANGE THERE.
SO EVERY NOW AND AGAIN, THERE'S SOMETHING LIKE THAT THAT WILL CONTRIBUTE TO IT WITH RESPECT TO THIS RELATIVELY SHORT TERM LOOK, UH, YOU KNOW, YEAR OVER YEAR SPECIFICALLY, THERE'S NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN THE DEFINITION.
SO IT IS, IT'S A FAIR COMPARISON.
IF WE COULD GO TO SLIDE SEVEN, THIS TALKS ABOUT, UM, THE SIZE OF HPD AND THE NUMBER OF CLASSIFIED EMPLOYEES OR POLICE OFFICERS THAT YOU HAVE.
SINCE MAYOR WHITMEYER HAS TAKEN OFFICE, HPD HAS ADDED ABOUT 400 CADETS TO OUR RANKS.
IS THAT A NET FIGURE OR IS THAT, UH, A SORT OF A GROSS FIGURE? SO THAT'S, THAT'S GONNA BE, UH, NET IN TERMS OF CADETS WHO ARE PLACED IN THE ACADEMY.
UH, THERE'S ALWAYS GONNA BE SOME ATTRITION, WHICH IS WHY IT WAS IMPORTANT TO, WE WANT TO GIVE CREDIT FOR WHAT'S COMING IN THE DOOR, BUT THAT'S WHY WE HAD THE SUBSEQUENT COMPARISON SLIDE THAT SHOWS, UH, THAT MEASURES SPECIFICALLY CADETS WHO HAVE GRADUATED COMPARED TO THE ATTRITION RATE.
SO THERE'S MULTIPLE METRICS, VARIABLES THAT, THAT ARE IMPORTANT.
WE WANNA RECOGNIZE WHAT IT TAKES TO GET SOMEONE INTO THE CLASS.
UH, THE ACADEMY IS A CONTINUATION OF A SELECTION PROCESS, BOTH FOR US AND THE APPLICANT.
AND SOMETIMES PEOPLE GET INTO THE ACADEMY, THEY REALIZE THIS IS NOT FOR ME, AND THEY DECIDE TO GO IN ANOTHER DIRECTION WITH THEIR CAREER CHOICE.
SO THAT'S 400 MORE OFFICERS AND I'LL GO BACK IN THE QUEUE.
COUNCIL MEMBER FLICKINGER, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UH, I'VE GOT A COUPLE QUESTIONS.
THE CASES THAT WEREN'T INVESTIGATED THAT THE BIG PUSH WAS PUT ON EARLIER IN THE YEAR, IF ANY OF THOSE CASES ACTUALLY BECAME ACTIVE AGAIN, WERE THEY COUNTED IN THIS YEAR'S NUMBERS OR THE NUMBER THEY ORIGINATED IN? I WILL HAVE TO DEFER AND GET BACK TO YOU IN WRITING IN TERMS OF EXACTLY WHEN AND WHERE THE, THE CASES SHOULD HAVE COUNTED AGAINST THE YEAR IN WHICH THE INCIDENT OCCURRED.
ALSO, DO WE HAVE ANY INFORMATION ON THE CLEARANCE RATES? I DO NOT HAVE IT HERE.
IF YOU GIVE ME A SPECIFIC AREA THAT YOU'RE INTERESTED IN, WE CAN CERTAINLY PROVIDE THAT RESPONSE.
WELL, ONE OF THE THINGS I'D LIKE TO SEE, AND I THINK IT'D BE A, A GREAT THING TO ADD TO THIS REPORT.
I MEAN, WE SHOW WHAT THE CRIMES ARE AND WHAT THE TRENDS ARE ON THE CRIMES.
I THINK HAVING THE CLEARANCE RATES WOULD BE FANTASTIC TO HAVE THAT AS WELL.
THE NEW RMS SYSTEM, THE, UM, THE HIRING INCENTIVE THAT WE GIVE, UH, HAPPENED TO BE AT LUNCH YESTERDAY WITH A MEMBER OF HPLU, AND HE RELAYED TO ME THAT THEY HAD SEVERAL CADETS THAT HAD GRADUATED AND IMMEDIATELY GONE TO ANOTHER DEPARTMENT FOR HIGHER PAY.
WHEN WE HAVE A HIRING INCENTIVE, HOW'S THAT PAID OUT AND IS THAT FACTORED INTO THAT WHEN THEY LEAVE OR HOW DOES THAT WORK? SO THE IN HIRING INCENTIVES ARE WHAT THEY ARE.
IT'S ONE OF THE CHALLENGES WHEN DEALING WITH THIS.
THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THAT WE'VE DEALT WITH HIRING INCENTIVES AND, UH, THE, THE COMPENSATION HAS BEEN GIVEN AND WE DO NOT HAVE A MECHANISM TO CLAW THAT BACK.
SO ESSENTIALLY WE'RE KIND OF, UM, SUBSIDIZING SOME OF THE SURROUNDING JURISDICTIONS IN THEIR RECRUITMENT, WHICH, WHICH ALSO SHOWS THE IMPORTANCE OF MAKING SURE THAT OUR STARTING PAY IS COMPETITIVE, UM, THAT WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE RETENTION A AGREED.
[00:40:01]
YOU CHAIR.UM, WITH THE CADET HIRING ONE, JUST VERY TECHNICAL QUESTION.
WITH THE FIREARM STIPEND, WHEN THEY EITHER LEAVE THE DEPARTMENT OR RETIRE, DO WE EVER GET THAT FIREARM BACK OR DO THEY KEEP IT SO IT IS THEIR PERSONAL FIREARM ONCE THEY PURCHASE IT? UH, IN ORDER TO HAVE A DEPARTMENT ISSUED FIREARM, IT REQUIRES STANDING UP AN ARMORY AND A WHOLE HOST OF SUPPORT MECHANISMS THAT WE ARE NOT SITUATED TO SUPPORT.
SO IT, IT WOULD TAKE A LOT MORE TO DO IT THE WAY YOU'RE DESCRIBING THAN PROVIDING THE DOLLARS UPFRONT TO PROVIDE THE FIREARM.
UH, GOING BACK TO PAGE 10, UH, RECRUITMENT COMPARED TO YEARS SLIDE 10.
UH, SO AGAIN, WE DON'T HAVE THE FULL PICTURE FOR FY 25.
AGAIN, GOING BACK TO, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER RAMIREZ'S QUESTION, THE APPROXIMATELY 400, IS THAT THE 333 FOR FY 24, WHEN YOU REFERRED TO APPROXIMATELY 400 CADETS ADDED? SO AGAIN, THAT'S JUST LOOKING GOING BACK TO JANUARY ONE OF LAST YEAR, THE NUMBER OF CADETS WHO HAVE STARTED A CLASS APPROXIMATELY 400.
SO THAT'S CALENDAR YEAR, NOT FY CORRECT.
AND, BUT STARTING IN FY 23, SO GOING BACK TO 2022, WE'RE SEEING THAT INCREASE YES.
IN CADETS COMPARED TO CLASSIFIED ATTRITION.
AND WE EXPECT, DO WE AS, AS THINGS ARE TRENDING AND THAT'S FANTASTIC.
ARE WE EXPECTING THAT TREND TO CONTINUE INTO FY 25? I DO EXPECT THAT WE'LL CONTINUE TO SEE THE TREND OF HIRING THAT WILL OUTPACE ATTRITION.
UH, WE ARE STILL RECOVERING AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE SEE ACROSS THE NATION, AND IT'S BEEN COMMENTED ON AT THE MAJOR CITY CHIEFS ASSOCIATION, THAT IT TAKES YEARS TO RECUPERATE FROM, UH, YOU KNOW, INCIDENTS, WHATEVER THE CLIMATE IS THAT DRIVES DOWN RECRUITING AND HIRING.
AND SO IF YOU GO BACK, WE HAVE TO GO BACK A FEW MORE YEARS, BUT THERE WAS CERTAINLY THE EFFECT FROM 2020 CIVIL UNREST.
UM, BUT I WOULD EXPECT THAT WE WILL CONTINUE TO OUTPACE OUR ATTRITION, ALTHOUGH IT WILL BE MODEST.
UH, AND WE'RE JUST GONNA CONTINUE TO, IT'S, IT'S INCREMENTAL.
WE HAVE TO MAKE OUR UNDERSTOOD.
SO AGAIN, 'CAUSE WE'RE TALKING NUMBERS HERE, JUST TO CLARIFY, SO ARE WE EXPECTING, AGAIN, FY 25, THE CLOSURE OF THE YEAR IS STILL A FEW MONTHS OUT, BUT ARE WE EXPECTING THAT ONE 20 TO SURPASS IN TERMS OF ACTUAL CADET NUMBERS? THE 333 FROM THE PREVIOUS FISCAL YEAR? I'LL HAVE TO GET WITH RECRUITING DIVISION TO PROVIDE AN ACCURATE FORECAST.
UH, IT ALSO DEPENDS ON THE TIMING OF GRADUATION DATES.
DOES, DOES A CLASS GRADUATE, UH, JUNE 25TH OR JULY 5TH, RIGHT.
SO THAT'S, YOU KNOW, THAT THAT COULD BE A DIFFERENCE OF 60 OR 70.
IS IT? AGAIN, WE'VE SEEN THESE NUMBERS CONT EVEN IN TERMS OF RAW NUMBERS, COUNCILOR RAMIREZ INCREASING, UH, WHICH IS TERRIFIC.
I I WOULD JUST LIKE TO KIND OF KNOW WHERE WE ARE ON PACE FOR THIS FISCAL YEAR AS WELL.
AND I'D LIKE TO BE SURE TO GIVE YOU AN ACCURATE ANSWER.
IN TERMS OF THE ANNUAL CRIME COMPARISON, UM, WHICH IS ALWAYS VERY HELPFUL.
I ALWAYS CAUTION RESIDENTS WHEN THEY'RE LOOKING AT THIS, PERCENTAGES ARE REALLY DIFFICULT.
YOU CAN SEE A HUGE JUMP OR A HUGE DECLINE.
BUT DEPENDING ON THE AREA, DEPENDING ON WHAT THE TYPE OF CRIME IS, IT, IT COULD BE, UH, FOR EXAMPLE, UNDER KIDNAPPING, WE NEVER WANNA HEAR ABOUT KIDNAPPING, BUT THAT COULD ALSO BE A CUSTODY DISPUTE, FIRST OF ALL.
SO IN TERMS OF DEFINITIONS, IT'S A LITTLE, UH, MURKY, BUT THEN WITH NUMBERS, YOU COULD HAVE JUST FOUR GO TO EIGHT, AND THAT PERCENTAGE IS GONNA SKYROCKET.
SO I APPRECIATE THAT WE HAVE PERCENTAGES, BUT I LIKE TO LOOK AT THE WRONG NUMBERS WHEN WE LOOK AT THE WRONG NUMBERS.
THE ONE THAT REALLY STANDS OUT TO ME IS THE AG ASSAULT, UM, BECAUSE THAT IS A PRETTY LARGE JUMP FROM LAST YEAR.
UH, AND THEN IF WE ALSO ARE LOOKING AT, UM, CRIME COMPARISONS GOING BACK FROM 2020 THROUGH 2024, UH, THE INCREASE IN IN RAPE IS ALSO CONCERNING.
IT'S, UH, WE WOULD EXPECT, AGAIN, DURING THE PANDEMIC, MORE INDIVIDUALS WERE HOME.
THERE WERE MORE INSTANCES OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND ASSAULTS.
BUT DO WE HAVE ANY EXPLANATION FOR THOSE INCREASES RIGHT NOW? AGAIN, WE'RE STILL SEEING THOSE UPTICK, EVEN THOUGH WE'RE ADDING MORE OFFICERS.
IN, IN PREPARATION FOR THIS, I DID TOUCH BASE WITH OUR SPECIAL VICTIMS DIVISION TO, UH, SPEAK SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THIS.
UH, WE DO NOT HAVE A, UH, A A WE CAN SPECULATE AS TO WHY THESE NUMBERS HAVE INCREASED.
WE DO THINK THAT SOME OF OUR OUTREACH EFFORTS, SOME OF OUR IMPROVEMENTS AND HOW WE WORK WITH OUR VICTIM SERVICES ARE VICTIM ADVOCATES.
OUR RELATIONSHIPS THAT WE'VE BUILT WITH, UH, THE WOMEN'S SHELTERS HAS IMPROVED THE REPORTING.
THIS IS A CRIME THAT IS VERY UNDER-REPORTED AND
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IT IS ALSO GROSSLY, DISPROPORTIONATELY COMMITTED BY INTIMATE PARTNERS AND ACQUAINTANCES.THERE'S A WHOLE HOST OF REASONS THAT THESE CRIMES GO UNREPORTED AND UNDER-REPORTED.
UM, WE BELIEVE THAT THAT IS A PIECE OF IT.
WE HAVE LOOKED TO DETERMINE, TO TRY TO IDENTIFY WHETHER THERE IS SOMETHING ELSE GOING ON THAT WE CAN POINT TO, WHETHER IT'S ONLINE BEHAVIOR, STRANGER CASES, UM, AND WE JUST HAVE NOT BEEN, THE, THE DATA ISN'T THERE TO REALLY POINT US IN A PARTICULAR DIRECTION OTHER THAN WE JUST HAVE INCREASED REPORTING.
AND INCREASED REPORTING IS A GOOD THING.
HAVING, UH, INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE BEEN VICTIMIZED FEEL COMFORTABLE COMING FORWARD IS IMPORTANT.
AND WE WANT ALWAYS WANNA ENCOURAGE THAT.
I KNOW WITH ONLINE, UH, THERE'S A NEW TYPE OF TARGETING HAPPENING AND Y'ALL HAVE BEEN GREAT MESSAGING OUT AND I THINK MADAM CHAIR, WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, EVEN COMMITTEE PRESENTATIONS AND MATERIALS ON THAT AS WELL.
UH, AS WE GO INTO THE NEW RMS SYSTEM, I'M HOPING WITH INVESTIGATIONS WE CAN START TO CRACK THAT CODE A LITTLE BIT MORE.
UH, BUT I APPRECIATE THAT THIS COULD BE A CORRELATION WITH INCREASED REPORTING.
AT THE SAME TIME WE NEED TO SEE DOWN AT, AT THE SAME TIME.
AND, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T JUST SIT SATISFIED WITH, YOU KNOW, THE BELIEF THAT IT'S INCREASED REPORTING.
WE CERTAINLY UNDERSTAND THE SEVERITY AND IT'S AN AREA OF CONCERN THAT WE'LL ALWAYS PAY ATTENTION TO.
AND I JUST HAVE ONE FINAL QUESTION, MADAM CHAIR, IF I MAY.
UM, ON PAGE 13, YOU MENTIONED WITH THE QUALITY OF LIFE INITIATIVES, THE WASHINGTON AVENUE, UH, CORRIDOR FOCUS, WHICH AGAIN, WE VERY MUCH APPRECIATE.
I RECOGNIZE THE STRAIN ON SPECIFICALLY CENTRAL PATROL DEALING WITH MEMORIAL PARK WASH AVE, SHADY ACRES, RIGHT? THE BARS ON 19TH, 20TH WHITE OAK, EVERYONE IS STRETCHED VERY THIN.
AND THAT'S A PATTERN THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF HOUSTON WHEN YOU HAVE TO COVER 650 SQUARE MILES AS IT PERTAINS TO WASHINGTON CORRIDOR.
THERE WERE INSTANCES, FOR EXAMPLE, AT THE SAME WEEKEND, HPD WAS OUT THERE IN THE LATE NIGHT HOURS ON A SUNDAY, THERE WAS A SHOOTING AT ONE OF THE CLUBS.
UH, THERE WAS A ALLEGED INCIDENT OF ACTUAL HUMAN TRAFFICKING OR SEX TRAFFICKING IN FRONT OF SOMEBODY'S LAWN THOSE VERY WEEKENDS, UH, I DON'T IN ANY WAY SUGGEST THAT THOSE EFFORTS ARE NOT WORKING.
BUT AS RESIDENTS CONTINUE TO COME FORWARD, VOICING CONCERNS IN THESE HOTSPOT AREAS, DO WE HAVE DATA ABOUT, UH, THE EFFECTIVENESS OR THOSE NUMBERS TO, TO RELAY OUT AS TO WHAT IS BEING DONE AND HOW EFFECTIVE IT IS IN TERMS OF ADDRESSING, FOR EXAMPLE, WASHINGTON AVENUE? WE, WE CAN CERTAINLY LOOK AT THE KNIGHTS THAT THE INITIATIVES TAKE PLACE AND BE ABLE TO PROVIDE SOME STATISTICS ON THAT.
BUT WITH THAT SAID, WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THE SUSTAINABILITY PIECE.
THESE SURGES ARE SIMPLY NOT A SUSTAINABLE MODEL, BUT IT IS OUR BEST EFFORT TO MAKE THE MOST OF THE RESOURCES THAT WE DO HAVE TO SHOW THAT WE ARE NOT IGNORING VALID CONCERNS, VALID COMPLAINTS THAT COME FROM THE COMMUNITY.
WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO DO SOMETHING.
SO THE STRATEGIC, UH, AND SURGICAL EMPHASIS ON KEY AREAS IS SOMETHING THAT WE CAN DO.
AS MENTIONED BEFORE, WE ARE LOOKING AT SHORT TERM AND LONG TERM PLANNING, AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE AS STRATEGIC AS WE CAN WITH THESE SURGES, BUT THEY'RE NOT SUSTAINABLE.
AND IN ORDER TO GET THE TYPE OF SUSTAINABLE RESULTS THAT, UH, YOU'RE LOOKING FOR, AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE HAVE THAT FINITE CAPACITY, FINITE STAFFING, AND WE'RE DOING THE BEST THAT WE CAN.
AND Y'ALL ARE ABSOLUTELY DOING THE BEST THAT YOU CAN.
UH, MY HEARTFELT, AGAIN, APPRECIATION TO EVERYONE FROM CHIEF DIAZ ALL THE WAY ON DOWN.
UH, Y'ALL ARE DOING A LOT AGAIN WITH LIMITED RESOURCES AND WE VERY MUCH APPRECIATE IT.
UM, YOU KNOW, ON THE, UH, UH, FAMILY VIOLENCE, SEXUAL ASSAULT, SO WE ALL KNOW THAT THREE IN FIVE CASES GO UNREPORTED.
I WANNA SHARE WITH YOU JUST SOME INFORMATION.
YOU KNOW, WE DID A SORT OF A SOFT LAUNCH OF THE AWARENESS CAMPAIGN.
FROM, UM, IN LAST OCTOBER AND FOR A PERIOD FROM NOVEMBER 21ST THROUGH DECEMBER 18TH, WE SAW AN INCREASE OF OVER 1200% HIT OF HITS ON THE RESOURCE PAGE.
UM, SO WE HAD, AS COMPARED TO THE SAME TIME PERIOD, THE YEAR BEFORE, THERE WAS, UH, JUST RIGHT AT 100 HITS ON THE RESOURCE PAGE IN THAT SAME PERIOD.
SO I'D LIKE TO HOPE THAT AS WE CONTINUE TO PUSH THIS OUT, UM, AND, AND WHEN YOU SEE IT, YOU, YOU START TO KIND OF, WHEN YOU KNOW ABOUT IT, YOU START TO SEE IT ON THE BILLBOARDS AND SUCH.
AND THEN ALSO IN THE AWARENESS, UM, YOU KNOW, AND THE STICKERS AROUND AND, AND SUCH, WE'VE GOT A NUMBER OF PARTNERS ON BOARD.
SO IT'S MY HOPE AND PRAYER THAT WE WILL CONTINUE TO SEE THOSE NUMBERS GO UP IN, IN REPORTS BECAUSE THE, THE DATA SHOWS THAT THREE AND FIVE DO GO UNREPORTED.
SO I HOPE WE CAN HELP TO GET THOSE NUMBERS UP AND GET SOME OF
[00:50:01]
THIS, UH, SOLVED.BECAUSE I KNOW IT'S A BIG ISSUE FOR, FOR YOUR TIME IN HPDI THINK IT'S 70, 70% OF ALL CALLS, UH, I THINK, UH, SHERIFF GONZALEZ SAID TO HARRIS COUNTY OVER 70% OR FAMILY VIOLENCE RELATED.
YOU, YOU MAKE A GOOD POINT, WHICH IS THE VALUE OF INVESTING IN THOSE TYPES OF INITIATIVES THAT DO NOT HAVE A DIRECT LOOK, DO NOT HAVE THAT OUTWARD DIRECT APPEARANCE OF ATTACKING VIOLENT CRIME.
BUT THEY ARE IMPORTANT IN TERMS OF HOW WE CAN BE MORE SUCCESSFUL AND HOW WE CAN REACH AND TOUCH MORE VICTIMS AND BRING THEM TO SAFETY.
AND, UH, CHIEF HOWARD GOING BACK TO RECRUITING, UM, YOU KNOW, AN NET OF 400 IS, UH, GREAT.
AND, UH, I KNOW THE FIRE DEPARTMENT IS HAVING GREAT SUCCESS THESE DAYS AS WELL, ADDING TO THEIR RANKS.
AND, YOU KNOW, HPD HAD AN ADDITIONAL, HAS AN ADDITIONAL CADET CLASS THIS FISCAL YEAR.
AND I, I'M NOT GONNA PUT YOU ON THE SPOT AND, AND ASK IF THAT'S GONNA BE A CONTINUING PART OF, UH, THE PROPOSED BUDGET.
I, I HOPE THAT IT IS, ESPECIALLY IN VIEW OF THE FACT THAT WE'RE IN MEET AND CONFER RIGHT NOW, AND THAT HOPEFULLY WHEN THAT FINISHES HPD WILL BECOME A MORE ATTRACTIVE PLACE TO WORK IN TERMS OF SALARY AND THAT WE'LL SEE THE SAME SUCCESS THAT, THAT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT IS SEEING, YOU KNOW, AS FAR AS INCREASING THEIR NUMBERS.
SO, UM, LET ME ASK YOU A, JUST A FEW MORE QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR PRESENTATION.
SO IN, IN THE LAW ENFORCEMENT PARTNERSHIP, UH, PART OF YOUR PRESENTATION, YOU MENTIONED, UH, THAT CITATIONS WERE UP.
DO YOU HAPPEN TO HAVE ANY FIGURES ON, I'M SORRY, YOU MENTIONED THERE WERE A LOT OF CITATIONS WRITTEN.
DO YOU HAVE ANY FIGURES ON WHETHER OR NOT MORE CITATIONS HAVE BEEN, UH, WRITTEN THIS PAST YEAR THAN THE PREVIOUS YEAR? I DON'T HAVE THAT OFFHAND.
WE CAN CERTAINLY GET THE INFORMATION FROM MUNICIPAL COURTS, UM, AND SEE IF THERE'S A YEAR OVER YEAR COMPARISON THAT WE CAN PROVIDE.
AND, AND RELATED TO THAT, UM, I STILL GET A TON OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT STREET RACING.
UH, THAT'S ONE OF THE MOST COMMON THINGS THAT I HEAR ABOUT IT.
AND PERSONALLY, I DON'T HAVE TO LEAVE MY HOME TO EXPERIENCE STREET RACING 'CAUSE I HEAR IT, UH, SEEMINGLY ALL THE TIME, YOU KNOW, IN EVENINGS AND ON WEEKENDS.
UM, AND I DO GET A LOT OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THAT.
SO CAN YOU, CAN YOU TELL US WHAT THE DEPARTMENT IS DOING TO ADDRESS STREET RACING? WE HAVE A TASK FORCE THAT'S DEDICATED TO ADDRESSING STREET CRIME, STREET CRIMES, AND THAT WOULD INCLUDE RACING AS WELL AS STREET TAKEOVERS.
AND SO THIS COLLABORATIVE EFFORT, WE HAVE OUR TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT DIVISION, UH, TASK FORCE THAT WORKS WITH PARTNER AGENCIES AND THEY WORK TO PROACTIVELY IDENTIFY AND LOCATE WHERE THESE TYPES OF INCIDENTS ARE OCCURRING.
UH, THEY HAVE PROVEN TO BE VERY SUCCESSFUL IN TERMS OF LOCATING PEOPLE.
UM, I CAN TELL YOU WHEN I'VE HAD TO WORK AT NIGHTTIME, UH, EXCELLENT SERGEANT FOR US WHO'S OVER IT, I CAN HEAR HIM, UH, YOU KNOW, CALLING OUT INSTRUCTIONS AND THEY GO FROM ONE LOCATION TO ANOTHER.
THEY'LL KNOCK HIM DOWN AS QUICK AS WE KNOCK DOWN A LOCATION, THERE'S ONE POPPING UP AT ANOTHER LOCATION.
UM, WE, THROUGH THOSE INITIATIVES, UH, WE TRY TO SEIZE VEHICLES WHEN WE CAN.
UH, SINCE THEY'RE USED IN THE OFFENSE, WE FIND THAT TO BE VERY, UM, DISCOURAGING TO THOSE WHO, UH, PERPETUATE THAT TYPE OF ACTIVITY.
UH, BUT IT IS, IT IS A CONCERN ACROSS THE NATION.
IT'S A MAJOR TOPIC OF CON CONVERSATION WITH OTHER MAJOR CITIES AND, UH, SOMETHING THAT WE SEE JUST, UH, CONSTANTLY CREEPING IN.
SO WE DO HAVE DEDICATED PERSONNEL WHO FOCUS SPECIFICALLY ON THAT, AND THEY DO SO AT NIGHTTIME BECAUSE THAT'S WHEN OUR STREETS ARE EMPTY AND WHEN IT'S MOST PREVALENT AND WE CAN HEAR IT, I CAN HEAR IT FROM MY HOUSE HERE, YOU KNOW, AT THE MOTORCYCLES AND, UH, YOU KNOW, AT LOUD MUFFLERS ON THE FREEWAY AND YOU KNOW, YEAH, IT MIGHT BE A MILE AND A HALF AWAY, BUT YOU CAN STILL HEAR IT.
SO I CERTAINLY APPRECIATE AND UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT IN TERMS OF IT'S VISIBLE, IT'S HERE AND, UH, WE'RE DOING WHAT WE CAN WITH, UH, WITH THOSE THOUGHTFUL RESOURCES, MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE GOING TO IT.
IT TAKES A SPECIAL TYPE OF OFFICER TO DO THOSE OPERATIONS.
YOU HAVE PEOPLE ENGAGING IN DA DANGEROUS ACTIVITIES IN A DEADLY WEAPON IN THAT VEHICLE, AND, UH, THEY DO AN EXCEPTIONAL JOB NIGHT AFTER NIGHT, UH, DOING THOSE PROACTIVE INVESTIGATIONS.
YEAH, AND, AND LET ME ADD, THAT'S WONDERFUL THAT Y'ALL ARE ADDRESSING THIS, THIS ISSUE AT NIGHT, BUT IT ALSO HAPPENS DURING THE DAYTIME AND ESPECIALLY IN THE AFTERNOONS ON WEEKENDS.
AND SO ANYTHING YOU ALL CAN DO TO, TO ADDRESS THAT WOULD BE MUCH APPRECIATED.
SO ON, ON A RELATED, UH, TOPIC, I NOTICED ON ONE OF YOUR SLIDES, IF WE COULD GO TO 17, SO THE SECOND BULLET POINT IS COMMUNITY QUALITY OF A LIFE INITIATIVES.
CAN, CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT THOSE INITIATIVES HAVE DONE? SO THOSE ARE GONNA BE THE INITIATIVES
[00:55:01]
SIMILAR TO, UM, LIKE ALONG ALAMEDA EMANCIPATION.UH, WE'VE DONE IT ON WASHINGTON.
WE'VE ALSO HAD SOME ON THE SOUTHWEST SIDE OF TOWN WHERE YOU JUST HAVE BUSINESSES THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, BY VIRTUE OF THE BUSINESS ITSELF OR THE WAY THAT THEY MARKET THEMSELVES AND BRING PEOPLE INTO THE NEIGHBORHOOD ARE DISRUPTIVE TO THOSE WHO LIVE, EAT AND SLEEP IN THOSE AREAS.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, WE TRY TO DO A, UH, IT'S NOT THE RIGHT USE OF THE TERM, BUT ESSENTIALLY AN ALL HAZARDS APPROACH, UH, TO ADDRESS THESE AREAS.
WE BRING IN THOSE ENTITIES THAT HAVE EXPERTISE, WHETHER THAT'S, UH, FOR HEALTH ENFORCEMENT, HEALTH CODE ENFORCEMENT, UM, WITH FIRE MARSHAL.
SO WE TRY TO BRING THOSE TOOLS TO BEAR.
WHAT WE WOULD REALLY LIKE IS TO SEE BUSINESSES COME IN COMPLIANCE AND TO FOLLOW, FOLLOW CODE AND TO BE GOOD NEIGHBORS WHO ARE STILL BRINGING IN BUSINESS TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON AND BUT ARE MORE, UH, PRODUCTIVE AND BETTER NEIGHBORS TO THE RESIDENTS THAT THEY'RE CLOSE TO.
UH, CHIEF, THE, WE'VE GOTTEN A LOT OF QUESTIONS FROM OUR OFFICES AND I APPRECIATED, UH, MAYOR WHIT MEYER'S REMARKS THAT WERE COVERED IN THE CHRONICLE AS IT RELATES TO, UH, IMMIGRANT IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT.
AND I CERTAINLY, IF YOU'RE NOT PREPARED TODAY TO PROVIDE, YOU KNOW, WHAT HPDS FORMAL POSITION IS.
UH, BUT AGAIN, WE HAVE A LOT OF FOLKS IN THE COMMUNITY THAT ARE VERY CONCERNED AND VERY NERVOUS RIGHT NOW.
UH, DOES HPD HAVE A FORMAL POSITION KNOWING THAT HPDS RESOURCES ARE ALREADY EXTREMELY STRAINED, UH, AND OUR FOCUS REMAINS ON VIOLENT CRIME AND VIOLENT CRIMINALS? ABSOLUTELY.
I WOULD EXPECT THAT THAT IS ONE OF THE POLICIES THAT IS PUBLIC FACING AND VISIBLE AS WE HAVE MANY OF OUR GENERAL ORDERS VISIBLE.
AND SO IT IS LARGELY REMAINED UNCHANGED THROUGHOUT MY CAREER, EVEN THOUGH IT WENT THROUGH AN UPDATE AND SOME SLIGHT CHANGES IN TERMS OF STYLE AND ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND INFORMATION.
BUT WE ARE A LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY AND OUR FOCUS IS ON STATE LAW, LOCAL ORDINANCE, UM, AND OUR LOCAL, LOCAL CRIMINAL ENFORCEMENT DUTIES.
UH, OUR POLICY IS THAT WE DO NOT STEP INTO OPERATIONS THAT ARE FOCUSED ON IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT AND OUR PARTNERS UNDERSTAND WHERE WE DRAW THE LINE.
AND SO AGAIN, I WOULD ENCOURAGE ANYONE WITH QUESTIONS AND YOU AS WELL TO SHARE THAT POLICY WITH YOUR CONSTITUENTS SO THEY CAN SEE THAT'S WHAT IT IS.
AND IT HAS BEEN AS LONG AS I'VE BEEN ON THE DEPARTMENT, WE HAVE TO WORK COOPERATIVELY WITH OUR ENTIRE COMMUNITY.
IT'S IMPORTANT THAT ANYONE WHO NEEDS HELP IS COMFORTABLE AND WILLING TO COME TO US AND ASK FOR HELP.
AND WE WILL TAKE THEIR REPORTS AND WE WILL, UH, MAKE SURE THAT WE DO OUR BEST TO GET JUSTICE FOR VICTIMS OF CRIME.
OUR FOCUS IS ON VIOLENT CRIME.
AND AS MENTIONED IN THE VERY BEGINNING, WE STARTED WITH CRIME TRENDS BECAUSE OUR SUCCESS IS MEASURED ON REPORTED CRIME AND PERCEIVED SAFETY.
AND SO IF REPORTED GR CRIME GOES DOWN, BUT THE PERCEPTION OF SAFETY, UH, DOES NOT IMPROVE, THEN WE ARE STILL FAILING AS A DEPARTMENT.
AND THAT'S MISSION NUMBER ONE.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER DAVIS'S OFFICE.
UH, I'D JUST LIKE TO DISSEMINATE A LITTLE INFORMATION.
UM, CHIEF THANK YOU ON BEHALF OF COUNCILMAN DAVIS FOR A VERY THOROUGH REPORT.
AS YOU KNOW, HE'S A BIG PROPONENT OF HPD.
YOU'VE OFTEN SEEN HIM AT THE POLICE CADET GRADUATING CLASSES.
I DON'T THINK HE MISSED ONE SINCE HE'S BEEN IN OFFICE.
AS HE'S OFTEN SAID, UM, WHEN HE LIVED IN CHICAGO, UM, HE DIDN'T WANT HOUSTON TO TURN IN CHICAGO.
AND SO SINCE CRIME IS NEAR AND DEAR TO HIS HEART, I JUST WANNA LET EVERYBODY KNOW THAT THIS THURSDAY, UH, FEBRUARY THE 13TH AT 10 O'CLOCK, RIGHT HERE AT CITY HALL AT 10:00 AM HE'S GONNA HAVE A PRESS CONFERENCE CONCERNING CRIME, PARTICULARLY CRIME AMONG THE YOUTH, UM, TEENAGERS AND EVEN 10 YEARS OLD AND UNDER, I THINK PEOPLE WILL BE SHOCKED BY THAT, UH, REPORT THAT HE'S GONNA GIVE OUT.
HE'S GONNA BE JOINED WITH THE MAYOR, UH, CHIEF DIAZ, OTHER LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES, UH, PASTORS, CRIME STOPPERS, AND COMMUNITY LEADERS.
SO, UM, IF EVERYONE CAN PLEASE ATTEND, UM, THAT'LL BE THIS THURSDAY 10:00 AM AT CITY HALL IN THE LEGACY ROOM.
UM, HE'S GONNA REALLY GIVE OUT SOME INFORMATION THAT'S GONNA BE KIND OF SHOCKING TO PEOPLE.
SO IF YOU WOULD STAND WITH HIM TO HELP KEEP HOUSTON SAFE, WE GREATLY APPRECIATE IT.
AND I THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THE PRESENTATION.
WE DO HAVE A FEW PUBLIC SPEAKERS WHO SIGNED UP.
UM, FIRST IS LAURA GALLAGHER OR OKAY.
[01:00:02]
I BELIEVE HE SIGNED UP FOR VIRTUAL AND HE IS NOT IN.WE'LL, SEEING NO FURTHER SPEAKERS.
UM, OUR NEXT MEETING WILL BE, UM, ON MONDAY, MARCH 3RD AT 10:00 AM WE STAND, ADJOURN.