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01 May 2008
HPD wants to boot red light running delinquents
Violations are dropping, one fourth of the people who have received red light tickets haven't paid, and HPD is getting desperate:
“Something we’re going to start exploring immediately is whether we can boot vehicles of people who fail to pay their violations,” said Vicki King who is an HPD assistant chief.
Whoa! What happened to Martha Montalvo?
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/01/08 06:50 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (28)
24 September 2006
Houston doesn't need Police Chief Montalvo
Since I wasn't able to listen to Chris Baker's show on Friday, I am listening to the podcast of the show (at Kevin's suggestion), where the topic was the murder of Officer Rodney Johnson.
Wow! Chris really voiced the anger and frustration that so many are feeling right now at the rudderless, impotent city of Houston leadership: Mayor White, Chief Hurtt, (temporarily only a) Councilmember Carol Alvarado (who cheered an illegal immigrant rally back in March), and the rest of City Council.
In the first hour of the show, Chris suggested the mayor send Chief Hurtt back to Phoenix -- where his heart obviously is -- and find a tough-on-crime police chief, perhaps promoting someone who is already within HPD's ranks.
Chris, I'm with you, as long as Executive Assistant Police Chief Martha Montalvo isn't the one promoted.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ Montalvo"> 09/24/06 09:08 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (2)
16 May 2007
Who's running HPD?
HPD assistant police chief and blogHOUSTON favorite (for entertainment value!) Martha Montalvo is quoted in a KPRC-2 story on the decision to pull officers from the street to help out in the property room after a recent scandal:
Many Houston police officers are being taken off the streets to pay for an investigation into missing evidence in the department's property room, KPRC Local 2 reported Tuesday.
About $40,000 used to pay for an overtime program to target car burglaries in downtown Houston is being shifted to pay for the property room audit after 21 guns were stolen from the secure facility.
"I think that the public is entitled to ensure that what we have in there is correct," Executive Assistant Chief Martha Montalvo said.
Montalvo said she needed to quickly fund the audit as the criminal investigation continues.
"What I wanted to do was have an outside inventory of the guns inside that property room," Montalvo said. "I wanted an outside group of classified officers to go in and do a count."
Assistant Chief George Buenik sent out an internal memo ordering that the downtown program stop.
"Effective immediately, stop all overtime programs that were being paid with seizure money," Buenik wrote. "I will also need an accounting of the total amount allocated and spent. Chief Montalvo needs this money for the property room investigation. She is likely to receive other money and once she does, your program will continue."
Strangely enough, I thought Harold "Raising Arizona" Hurtt was the chief of police, not the frequently entertaining Montalvo.
He hasn't decided to stay in Phoenix until someone notices he's missing, has he?
ANNE ADDS: It's been a busy couple of days for Assistant Police Chief Montalvo. In yesterday's Chron, she announced that HPD soon expects four downtown surveillance cameras will be online, modifying criminal behavior.
And KHOU-11 got ahold of an HPD memo that said if officers assigned to a downtown overtime program didn't start producing more citations and arrests, the program could be ended.
So there you have Martha Montalvo's idea of policing downtown: less police officers and more cameras. Downtown's looking inviting, eh?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/16/07 09:19 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (10)
03 June 2007
Montalvo strikes again!
KHOU-11's Mark Greenblatt reports on the latest gaffe by HPD's frequently entertaining assistant police chief Martha Montalvo:
So what did HPD have to say [about crime reporting questions]? They said they are doing everything correctly, because they have been checked out by outside agencies.
And that’s not all.
11 News: “Has the FBI audited you?”
HPD Asst. Chief Martha Montalvo: “I believe the last time I was told we were audited was is in 2001, and I believe 2006 or 2007; the early part of 2007.”
In fact, city police also claimed in a statement that, “HPD ... passes frequent audits by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for their … crime reporting procedures.”
So everything must be OK, right?
Wrong. An e-mail from the FBI to 11 News said HPD’s claims about those audits is “incorrect.”
11 News: “How do you explain if the FBI says that’s not true?”
MM: “I have no explanation for that. That’s what I was told.”
And what about HPD’S other claims?
“We’ve been audited by DPS in 2004, 2001, 2002,” Asst. Chief Montalvo had said at a public meeting.
The Texas Department of Public Safety said in the last six years they have done zero audits of HPD.
But 11 News Investigates has discovered that the Houston Police Department may have an even bigger problem on their hands: Experts say the very way the department gathers and counts many crime stats is all wrong and may be giving Houstonians a false picture of just how safe the city is.
Whoops!
There's more in Greenblatt's reporting on the controversy over HPD's crime statistics reporting.
HPD pushed back hard after Greenblatt's original reports a few weeks ago, but it would seem Greenblatt is sticking by his reporting.
It might be nice to hear from Chief Hurtt on the matter, but we suspect he was probably hard to reach in Arizona this weekend (even though he wants some local reporters to know he REALLY LOVES Houston).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ Montalvo strikes again!"> 06/03/07 09:48 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (3)
28 November 2007
Additional red light cameras help the city's coffers!
Those last twenty red light cameras the city hurriedly installed (to beat a state deadline) have provided Houston quite a tidy little stash of cash, according to the Chron's Matt Stiles. Stiles notes that the past several months had seen a downward trend in the number of tickets issued, but with the new cameras, revenues jumped quite nicely.
However, Chief Martha Montalvo assures us that sneaking those twenty cameras in had absolutely nothing to do with revenue. Oh no, no, no, no:
Police officials dismiss any suggestion that the cameras were installed to replace money being lost because of the new state law.
Montalvo said the department added the extra cameras because certain intersections still were seeing a lot of violations, even with the intense media publicity about the program.
"I never ever thought about those things," Montalvo said. "The whole purpose of the other approaches was to make people aware that their safety is important."
She never, EVER thought about the revenue!
Right.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/28/07 05:13 AM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (16)
29 August 2007
Houston hurries to add more red light cameras before new law takes effect
With little fanfare, the city is adding 20 more red light cameras, possibly to beat a deadline, even though the city has already installed the 50 cameras it said would be initially installed (via the Chronicle's Matt Stiles):
Houston police quietly have moved to install new red-light cameras at 20 intersections already monitored by the system, allowing citations for motorists traveling in the opposite direction, officials confirmed Tuesday.
The 20 new cameras are expected to start working Friday. Motorists caught by the new cameras would be issued warnings during a month-long grace period ending in October, police said.
The move to add more cameras, which had not been publicly disclosed, appears to conflict with the terms of a contract the City Council approved in 2006 with American Traffic Solutions Inc., the private company that installs and monitors the cameras.
That agreement includes payment arrangements with the company for a total of 50 intersection "approaches," or cameras monitoring specific directions at a location.
But department officials said Tuesday that they long had planned to increase the number of cameras at some locations, and they denied the contract limited that total to 50 intersections.
"These are different approaches at those same intersections," said Executive Assistant Chief Martha Montalvo, who supervises the program.
And now, let's highlight some fine Martha Montalvo quotes:
Montalvo said the decision to add the new cameras had nothing to do with a new state law, which takes effect Saturday, that could require some cities to do engineering studies at new locations.
Of course not!
She also dismissed a common complaint that the new cameras were intended to generate more revenue, even as the new law requires that a portion of the fines go to a regional trauma center fund.
"This is not about revenue," she said. "This is about changing the behavior and public safety."
Of course not!
Montalvo said late Tuesday that she was not aware of any briefings to council members about the new cameras.
Of course not!
But she said Police Chief Harold Hurtt had planned to make an announcement later this week.
Before he leaves town for the weekend?
Montalvo has in the past said expanding to more sites was possible, but only after the department hired someone to study the effectiveness of the current cameras at reducing crashes.
Montalvo said Tuesday she had not arranged for such a study, but that one was still planned.
Sure.
We know it's about revenue. The city needs to recoup some of the money it'll be losing thanks to the new state law. If it was about safety and changing behavior, the city would have lengthened yellow light times.
It'd be fun to put red light cameras to a vote -- not before Council, but before the citizens of Houston.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 08/29/07 05:21 AM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (2)
10 June 2007
Taking away a reason to pay that red-light camera ticket
There was a really interesting development relating to red light cameras that almost flew under the radar, except for the eagle eye of blogHOUSTON friends Mike Jones and Rorschach. Here it is:
I think the Mayor is in for a surprise, if he'd let the passed bill be read over by legal eagles.
[snip]
(h) A local authority or the person with which the local
authority contracts for the administration and enforcement of a
photographic traffic signal enforcement system may not provide
information about a civil penalty imposed under this chapter to a
credit bureau, as defined by Section 392.001, Finance Code.
Emphasis added.
As Rorschach noted in the forum, "that's gonna leave a mark!"
Indeed, because as we noted back in June of 2005, HPD Assistant Chief Martha Montalvo made it clear the city was counting on that to encourage payment:
It says, in fact, right on the citation that it's a "civil penalty" and won't affect your insurance rates and will not be reported or appear on your driving record.
So if they don't pay?
"We're asking the vendor to go with a collection agency if you will," says HPD Asst. Chief Martha Montalvo.
This is a very big deal, especially coupled with the revenue limitations that were also imposed, as Kevin noted a couple of weekends ago.
No wonder Mayor White isn't happy!
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/10/07 08:15 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (23)
23 October 2007
KTRK-13: Chief Hurtt to take up blogging
KTRK-13's Miya Shay posts that her colleague Andy Cerota has learned that Chief Hurtt will be starting his own blog.
We've missed his podcasts, and hope the blog proves to be as interesting. It will be a real bonus if Martha Montalvo is the executive assistant blogger!
Plus it will allow Chief Hurtt to look plugged in to Houston affairs during those weekends in Arizona.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 10/23/07 09:17 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (11)
25 November 2007
HPD "secretly" tests unmanned surveillance aircraft
Back in September, we were first alerted that HPD wanted to add drones to its force, to help with traffic and tactical situations:
Executive Assistant Chief Martha Montalvo confirmed the department is close to making it happen.
“And what's important and what needs to get out there is we are doing this in cooperation and assistance with the FAA,” said Montalvo.
[snip]
“I can tell you right now, I don't want to get into specifics, but we are looking at state of the art, actually drones that have been used by the military,” said Montalvo.
So it's unclear why the assistant police chief tried (unsuccessfully) to be all stealthy when HPD recently tested the surveillance drones, as KPRC-2 reported last week:
Neighbors in rural Waller County said they thought a top-secret military venture was under way among the farmland and ranches, some 70 miles northwest of Houston. KPRC Local 2 Investigates had four hidden cameras aimed at a row of mysterious black trucks. Satellite dishes and a swirling radar added to the neighbors' suspense.
Then, cameras were rolling as an unmanned aircraft was launched into the sky and operated by remote control.
Houston police cars were surrounding the land with a roadblock in place to check each of the dignitaries arriving for the invitation-only event. The invitation spelled out, "NO MEDIA ALLOWED."
HPD Chief Harold Hurtt attended, along with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and dozens of officers from various police agencies in the Houston area. Few of the guests would comment as they left the test site.
News Chopper 2 had a Local 2 Investigates team following the aircraft for more than one hour as it circled overhead. Its wings spanned 10 feet and it circled at an altitude of 1,500 feet. Operators from a private firm called Insitu, Inc. manned remote controls from inside the fleet of black trucks as the guests watched a live feed from the high-powered camera aboard the 40-pound aircraft.
"I wasn't ready to publicize this," Executive Assistant Police Chief Martha Montalvo said. She and other department leaders hastily organized a news conference when they realized Local 2 Investigates had captured the entire event on camera."We still haven't even decided how we were going to go forward on this task, so it seemed premature to me to announce this to the media," Montalvo said.
How could it be premature to announce it when there had already been a story in the media about it? And what's up with her saying "I wasn't ready to publicize this"?
Who's actually in charge at HPD?
KPRC's story continues with a few more Chief Montalvo highlights:
Montalvo told reporters the unmanned aircraft would be used for "mobility" or traffic issues, evacuations during storms, homeland security, search and rescue, and also "tactical." She admitted that could include covert police actions and she said she was not ruling out someday using the drones for writing traffic tickets.
[snip]
Houston police contacted KPRC from the test site, claiming the entire airspace was restricted by the Federal Aviation Administration. Police even threatened action from the FAA if the Local 2 helicopter remained in the area. However, KPRC reported it had already checked with the FAA on numerous occasions and found no flight restrictions around the site, a point conceded by Montalvo.
Montalvo wants to use the drones for writing traffic tickets! And HPD tried to intimidate a local media station as it was covering what is a pretty important story.
What the heck is going on at HPD?
The department has been fudging statistics, including numbers of homicides as we just learned; it has a severe manpower shortage that requires reactionary policing; response times are through the roof; and yet the department's leadership continues to focus on technological gadgetry.
As Scott Henson notes, Chief Hurtt has a "surveillance fetish." That sounds about right. Red light cameras, surveillance cameras, and now spy drones. Just remember, Chief Hurtt says if you aren't doing anything wrong, you've got nothing to worry about.
Is this really the kind of policing Houstonians want?
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/25/07 06:24 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (14)
26 October 2007
Red light cameras generate $6 million for HPD
The Chronicle's Mike Glenn has details of what HPD plans on doing with its new windfall:
Red light cameras installed at 50 intersections throughout the city have generated more than $6 million for the city since the program was launched last fall, Houston Police Chief Harold Hurtt said Thursday.
HPD officials are now deciding how to spend some of the money.
About $25,000 will be spent on an evaluation of the camera program by Rice University and the Texas Transportation Institute.
"They are going to be looking at everything, including where (the cameras) are placed," said Executive Assistant Chief Martha Montalvo, who supervises the program.
The evaluation will examine accidents at intersections where cameras have been mounted, compared with surrounding areas, officials said.
The results from the review of the first 20 intersections are expected by the end of January, Montalvo said.
Almost $1 million will go toward equipment upgrades and safety programs aimed at troubled youth, and $635,000 to replace aging video cameras in patrol cars.
Also, $240,000 to buy vehicles that can test a driver's blood alcohol level, $229,000 to send officers to school zones, $83,000 to work with students who have drug and alcohol problems, and $20,000 for a teenage driver safety program.
Which still leaves a majority of the money untapped. What will HPD do with the rest?
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 10/26/07 04:52 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (7)
21 November 2005
Red light cameras are here; are speed cameras next?
Matt Stiles has a story in the Chronicle about the red light cameras that started operating today, and Chris Baker is talking about it on his show (KTRH-740).
The city's spin is that it's all about safety...oh, and helping out an understaffed HPD.
Regular readers will know that my spin is that this is all about revenue. It seems as if at least once a week we see a story in the media about someone running a red light and killing someone. Please explain how a red light camera will stop that. If someone doesn't care what color the traffic signal is, how is the threat of a picture and a $75 civil fine going to deter him or her?
In Matt Stiles' story, HPD's Martha Montalvo says:
"This is about increasing safety, making people more alert and using the technology that is out there," said Executive Assistant Police Chief Martha Montalvo, who is helping oversee the vendor-selection process.
Since the city and HPD didn't lengthen yellow light times -- which has proven to reduce red light running much more than cameras -- we know this is NOT about safety. It's about revenue. If it really was about safety, Mayor White would have followed through on his promise to two councilmembers to check out yellow light times.
And Montalvo is the HPD person who adamantly refused even to consider the idea of lengthening yellow light times last February. She said, "I don't see the logic of lengthening the yellow light." That's scary. Either she hasn't researched the issue and is woefully uninformed (and the issue is very clear and easy to understand), or she's refusing to consider any alternatives. Or...well, never mind.
Chris Baker wonders if speed cameras are next. Well, last February we learned that camera manufacturers were lobbying city council. Councilman Michael Berry assured Chris back then that speed cameras were not being considered. I don't find Berry's assurances comforting, since Council tends to roll over whenever Mayor White gets a new bee in his bonnet. If red light cameras are successful at generating revenue, you can bet speed cameras will be next.
PREVIOUSLY: Do red light cameras reduce accidents or generate revenue? (bH), WaPo discovers that red light cameras increase accidents in D.C. (bH), Real proof that longer yellow-light times reduce red-light running (bH)
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/21/05 03:47 PM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (3)
13 February 2006
HPD answers questions about red light cameras
Today's Chronicle Q & A is with Assistant HPD Chief Martha Montalvo on the topic of red light cameras. This appears to be one of the better Q & A's (which is NOT a ringing endorsement), although it's lacking some tough questions and follow-ups:
Q: What happens if city vehicles run red lights?
A: If there wasn't an emergency purpose for running that red light or if there wasn't a reason, then that employee will have to pay.
It would be nice if our local watchdog media actually follow up to see if this is happening.
Q: Some critics have complained that cameras result in more rear-end collisions as drivers stop suddenly to avoid getting caught by cameras. Is this true?
A: I've read some of the studies in regard to that. There's also studies that show that the red-light cameras play a part in reducing a lot of the right-angle crashes, or driver-side crashes, which are more dangerous than the rear-end crashes.
That is just BEGGING for a follow-up question (or two or three!). What does Montalvo think of the studies she's read about rear-end collisions? Why does she think that using automation that causes collisions is preferable to using actual police officers? What does she think about the Washington Post investigation that found serious-injury accidents and fatalities increased at intersections with red light cameras?
Q: Some say the city's motive is to raise revenue. Is that true?
A: That is not true. Each of these citations will be $75 a pop. Of course, after a third violation it goes up to $150. But our priority is, and always has been, safety.
Follow-up! If the goal isn't revenue, why didn't the city try lengthening yellow light times first? Here's Montalvo's take on that from a KHOU-11 story awhile back:
A study in San Diego found that simply lengthening the yellow light by a second cut violations by 25 percent and adding less than two seconds, cut them by 90 percent.
They also discovered that the company hired to run the program was getting paid per ticket issued and had been shaving time off the yellow lights.
Montalvo vows that won't happen here, but also says she doesn't intend to even try adding a second or two to the yellow lights. She's sticking with the cameras.
"I truly believe this program is going to work, and I don't see the logic of lengthening the yellow light," she says.
It's hard to believe Montalvo survived that withering Q & A session.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 02/13/06 02:24 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (4)
26 June 2006
The champagne corks are a-poppin' at HPD headquarters
Because Texas AG Greg Abbott passed down an opinion that said red light cameras could be placed at TxDOT intersections:
"Now we can truly impact safety, because now we're going to be using the (more dangerous) locations instead of having to work around" them, said Houston Police Department Executive Assistant Chief Martha Montalvo.
Of course, if Montalvo was truly interested in safety, she would have pressed for yellow light times to have been adjusted. But she doesn't see the "logic" in that.
About half of the most dangerous intersections in the city belong to TxDOT, Montalvo said. Those locations can now be monitored by cameras intended to catch drivers who run red lights, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott said in an opinion issued late Friday.
"(TxDOT) may permit local entities to install camera equipment to monitor compliance with traffic-control signals for the purpose of enforcing traffic laws," Abbott's opinion reads.
HPD is so excited, they are trashing the original list of intersections that was released just a couple of weeks ago:
HPD likely will scrap the list of 10 sites it released earlier this month as the first camera locations and come up with a new one that includes TxDOT intersections, Montalvo said. That new list could be released as soon as this afternoon, she said.
There's revenue to be generated! The camera company, ATS, is being very flexible:
The company contracted to run the system, American Traffic Solutions Inc., already has begun planning the installation of cameras at the 10 intersections announced by HPD earlier this month, said CEO Jim Tuton. But the company was aware the locations could change, and Tuton still expects installation to begin in July as previously planned, he said.
Tuton called the opinion a "milestone in traffic safety in Texas."
"It has a huge impact in terms of the enforcement potential and the safety potential," he said. "It's very hard to implement technology and leverage it effectively unless you can implement it across the entire city."
Not to mention the revenue potential! It's hard to get maximum revenues unless ATS and HPD can implement the program across the entire city.
Wouldn't it be refreshing if MayorWhiteChiefHurtt would just admit it's all about the money?
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/26/06 09:19 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (1)
15 September 2007
MayorWhiteChiefHurtt's latest big idea
HPD wants drones. For traffic management. Really.
KHOU-11's Jeff McShan has the story:
Sources tell 11 News that Mayor Bill White, and Police Chief Harold Hurtt came up with the idea to use drones -- unmanned flying machines -- to help with traffic mobility.
They could also be used for police tactical situations. Like the SWAT incident at NASA in April.Executive Assistant Chief Martha Montalva confirmed the department is close to making it happen.
“And what's important and what needs to get out there is we are doing this in cooperation and assistance with the FAA,” said Montalva.
A few police agencies across the country have tried to use drones in the past two years, but most have been unsuccessful.
11 News learned the drones that were used were like small model airplanes, some costing just $30,000.
Houston will be different, Montalvo says.
“I can tell you right now, I don't want to get into specifics, but we are looking at state of the art, actually drones that have been used by the military,” said Montalvo.
HPD and Miami's police department have been talking with the FAA and drone manufactures about testing these large drones that cost about $1 million each.
Unbelievable.
KEVIN WHITED ADDS: TranStar has state of the art freeway monitoring capabilities, yet MayorWhiteChiefHurttMarthaMontalvo want to invest in drones at $1 million a pop to solve a traffic-monitoring "problem" that isn't a problem (money that could be better invested in fighting crime on the ground)? That truly is unbelievable. Is there a drone manufacturer in the Phoenix area that stands to benefit from this? (Just to clarify, as per the comments -- KHOU points out the drones will be "free" to the cities testing them. But, of course, they won't be free forever, and it's not clear that they are needed regardless).
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 09/15/07 09:32 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (17)
14 June 2005
What's the penalty for not paying a red light camera ticket?
So what happens if you get a red light camera ticket and you don't pay it? HPD says your case could be sent to a collection agency:
It says, in fact, right on the citation that it's a "civil penalty" and won't affect your insurance rates and will not be reported or appear on your driving record.
So if they don't pay?
"We're asking the vendor to go with a collection agency if you will," says HPD Asst. Chief Martha Montalvo.
[snip]
Don't pay your parking tickets and, at least, the city can give you the boot. But with only a camera's eye as testimony of your red light running, there may be nothing the city can do.
Interestingly, one person purposely ran a red light in Garland, TX, so he could challenge red light cameras in court:
"I'm against it enough that I want to file suit against it. I want to block it," says Michael Kubosh who was caught running a red light in Garland, Texas, at 3:23 in the morning.
He did it intentionally, so he could go to court with a legal challenge.
"There's all kinds of legal things they say could happen if I don't pay it," he says.
But it's been a year and nothing's happened.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/14/05 09:46 AM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (9)
29 September 2007
Aha! This is why Houston rushed installation of 20 more red light cameras
Remember when the city hurriedly installed 20 more red light cameras, even though the 50 that Council approved had already been installed? Suspicion was that this was to beat a new state law that imposed some limitations on the revenue-generating devices. Now we know how true that suspicion was. From TheNewspaper.com:
A little-noticed provision of Texas law took effect at the beginning of the month to force cities using red light cameras to appoint citizen oversight panels. The provision caused disruption in the city of Lubbock's red light camera plans yesterday.
According to Texas Transportation Code Section 707.003: "A local authority shall report results of the traffic engineering study required by Subsection (c) to a citizen advisory committee consisting of one person appointed by each member of the governing body of the local authority. The committee shall advise the local authority on the installation and operation of a photographic traffic signal enforcement system established under this chapter."
No camera installed after September 1 may issue a citation without this citizen's panel first reviewing a detailed engineering assessment that presents alternatives to photo ticketing. The Texas Transportation Institute, for example, found in 2005 that merely adding one second of yellow warning time at traffic signals beyond the minimum amount yielded a forty percent accident reduction (view report).
The wording of the law ensures that city council members who oppose the use of red light cameras have the right to appoint representatives to the oversight panel.
MayorWhiteChiefHurttMarthaMontalvo had to be concerned about their chances to add more cameras with this obstacle. You'll notice that Houstonians weren't allowed to vote on the red light camera program; it's not hard to guess it'd probably be voted down.
Let's recall what Asst. Chief Montalvo said when those 20 cameras were added at the last minute:
Montalvo said the decision to add the new cameras had nothing to do with a new state law, which takes effect Saturday, that could require some cities to do engineering studies at new locations.
Boy, that's ringing even more hollow now!
And then there's Matt Stiles' latest reporting on city-owned vehicles running red lights, including Houston police officers:
Houston police commanders say the city's red-light camera enforcement program should increase safety at intersections by prompting "behavior modifications" in motorists.
Not all of their own employees are getting the message, however.
More than 100 Houston police vehicles moving through intersections without emergency lights were cited in the first year of the cameras' operation, according to ticket data.
"We're just like regular citizens. We're only human," said Martha Montalvo, an executive assistant chief with the Houston Police Department who oversees the program.
"We're hoping for some behavior modifications from all angles, not only from our citizens but also from our city employees."
Back when it was just the general citizenry she thought needed behavior modification, Montalvo wasn't so forgiving.
She's got a bit more empathy going now: We're only human.
Maybe some longer yellow light times would help, Martha.
RELATED: Red-light cameras to city: You owe $16,425 (City Hall blog); HPD, METRO lead in red-light camera citations (City Hall blog)
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 09/29/07 04:06 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (14)
07 August 2006
After many delays, red light cameras begin September 1st
The city is ready to start a red light camera public education campaign, since the cameras are just weeks away from issuing revenue-generating tickets. KTRH-740 reports:
Houston was supposed to have ten intersections monitored by devices which catch red-light runners in the act by mid-July. But KTRH was first to report the deadline had to be pushed back to Sept. 1. Assistant Police Chief Martha Montalvo says several problems slowed down the camera installation process. One major issue was city engineers couldn't figure out how to supply the cameras with power. She says that's since been corrected. However, Houston is still off schedule because its required to have a public awareness campaign at least 30 days before the devices start taking pictures. Montalvo says that campaign will largely consist of radio ads, mail-outs and public service announcements on the city-owned Municipal Channel. The entire campaign is expected to cost around $200,000.
The Municipal Channel? That's one way to keep the public uninformed. How many people actually watch that channel?
Do you think the ads will include Chief Hurtt's new camera mantra?
"If you don’t run red lights, you have nothing to be concerned about. Red light runners do!"
It's very similar to his surveillance camera defense:
''I know a lot of people are concerned about big brother, but my response to that is if you aren't doing anything wrong why worry about it?"
Very comforting, if a bit un-American. Oh, and all tickets will be reviewed by an HPD officer before being sent out. Because, that's foolproof, you know.
KTRK-13's Consumer Blog has the list of red light camera intersections, and notes the list includes some intersection changes:
· Richmond @ Dunvale
· Bellaire @ Wilcrest
· Harwin @ Hillcroft
· Milam @ Elgin
· Brazos @ Elgin
· JFK @ Greens
· Bay Area Boulevard @ El Camino Real
· Travis @ Webster
· Pease @ LaBranch
· Hillcroft @ Richmond
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 08/07/06 08:37 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (2)
10 July 2006
Volunteers could monitor downtown surveillance cameras (updated)
HPD has told City Council that its approval isn't needed for downtown surveillance cameras, according to a local media outlet. I'd link to the story, but since we have been informed that we can no longer link to or excerpt from this particular news outlet without written permission, I'll have to forego it.
But here's a KHOU-11 story on the topic, where we learn that volunteers could one day monitor the video from the surveillance cameras.
VOLUNTEERS! Oh my!
UPDATE (07-11-2006): Here's a Chronicle story with more:
The project does not require council approval because the management district is paying for the cameras, which will be installed at sites on and around Main Street.
The Houston Police Department will work with the Management District to use the cameras in law enforcement.
The department hopes to secure federal funds to expand the surveillance program to other downtown locations, said HPD Executive Assistant Chief Martha Montalvo. That would require council approval.
What Chief Hurtt is counting on is that once the first set of cameras are up and running, Council won't put up a fuss about approving more cameras.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 07/10/06 09:22 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (8)
10 December 2007
Hurtt's blog goes on the offensive against KPRC journalist
Back in September, KHOU-11's Jeff McShan reported (and to our knowledge, no city officials disputed) the following:
Sources tell 11 News that Mayor Bill White, and Police Chief Harold Hurtt came up with the idea to use drones -- unmanned flying machines -- to help with traffic mobility.
They could also be used for police tactical situations. Like the SWAT incident at NASA in April.
Executive Assistant Chief Martha Montalva [sic] confirmed the department is close to making it happen.
“And what's important and what needs to get out there is we are doing this in cooperation and assistance with the FAA,” said Montalva.[sic]
In November, KPRC-2's Stephen Dean got wind of the fact that HPD was planning a secret test of the drones -- and forced HPD into a hasty press conference because of his reporting:
Houston police cars were surrounding the land with a roadblock in place to check each of the dignitaries arriving for the invitation-only event. The invitation spelled out, "NO MEDIA ALLOWED."
HPD Chief Harold Hurtt attended, along with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and dozens of officers from various police agencies in the Houston area. Few of the guests would comment as they left the test site.
News Chopper 2 had a Local 2 Investigates team following the aircraft for more than one hour as it circled overhead. Its wings spanned 10 feet and it circled at an altitude of 1,500 feet. Operators from a private firm called Insitu, Inc. manned remote controls from inside the fleet of black trucks as the guests watched a live feed from the high-powered camera aboard the 40-pound aircraft.
"I wasn't ready to publicize this," Executive Assistant Police Chief Martha Montalvo said. She and other department leaders hastily organized a news conference when they realized Local 2 Investigates had captured the entire event on camera.
"We still haven't even decided how we were going to go forward on this task, so it seemed premature to me to announce this to the media," Montalvo said. "But since, obviously, the media found out about it, then I don't see any reason why just not go forward with what we have so far."
Montalvo told reporters the unmanned aircraft would be used for "mobility" or traffic issues, evacuations during storms, homeland security, search and rescue, and also "tactical." She admitted that could include covert police actions and she said she was not ruling out someday using the drones for writing traffic tickets.
A large number of the officers at the test site were assigned to the department's ticket-writing Radar Task Force. Capt. Tom Runyan insisted they were only there to provide "site security," even though KPRC cameras spotted those officers heavily participating in the test flight.
In two followup reports (here and here), Dean noted that the testing raised air traffic concerns.
None of Dean's characterizations seems farfetched or unfair, in light of what he and competitor Jeff McShan have documented.
Chief Hurtt's ghostblogger might beg to differ, though.
In today's post on Chief Hurtt's blog, the ghostblogger provides "FACTS to Correct Erroneous Allegations" from Dean, who "has alleged or insinuated the following things..." about HPD's drone testing. What is most interesting about the list of "things" is that they rely on no direct quotes from Dean's reporting. Rather, the ghostblogger creatively interprets the "things" that Mr. Dean has allegedly insinuated, and then goes on to rebut what is made to seem like a wild, off-the-mark accusation. It's a fairly crude effort to smear Dean's reporting.
Chief Hurtt's ghostblogger may want to be a little more judicious. The blog's last effort to smear a journalist (and an award-winning one at that) backfired.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 12/10/07 11:16 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (5)
04 August 2007
Let's see a report on the yellow light times at these intersections
On the Chron's City Hall blog, Matt Stiles posts the latest information on the city's red light cameras:
The department has issued 89,000 citations, and about 57 percent of the cited motorists have paid. This rate, however, is skewed by the fact that motorists have about three months to pay. The payment rate from the earliest months of the program is much higher. Seventy-four percent of those cited in October have paid, for example.
There have been an average of 442 citations issued per day.
The busiest intersection is West Road at the North Freeway (1,066 citations, on average, per month). The slowest is North Shepherd at the North Loop (19 citations, on average, per month).
It could be true that the cameras (and publicity about them) have achieved the "behavior modifications" Executive Assistant Chief Martha Montalvo wants. Monthly citations have declined from a height of 15,293 in April, when only 40 intersections were monitored, to 14,201 in May and 13,512 in June. All 50 cameras were operating during those two months, of course, so the decline is even more significant. We'll see whether this trend continues.
It still boggles my mind that Council didn't force the city to make sure all these intersections were functioning properly; specifically, that lights were timed properly and intersections were well-engineered. Recall that Chron columnist Lisa Falkenberg caught herself running red lights because of downtown's "synchronized" traffic signals. Also recall that, back when red light cameras were being debated, Mayor White balked at the suggestion of increasing yellow light times because he thought that would reduce mobility.
The behavior modification should have begun with city and HPD officials and how they opted for the most punishing "solution" to the problem of red-light running, a problem that might well have its roots in how the city manages its intersections.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 08/04/07 07:48 AM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (0)
18 February 2008
Council to consider signing bonuses to boost HPD recruiting
We've frequently commented on HPD's manpower shortage, which has been a problem for years.
The Chronicle reports that Mayor White and Council are finally attempting to boost recruiting via financial incentives:
In an effort to put at least 1,000 more officers on the streets, the Houston Police Department plans to offer signing bonuses of up to $12,000 to new cadets starting with the next academy class in March, officials said Thursday.
The decision to offer bonuses follows similar moves by other police departments and the military, all of which are competing for the same pool of applicants.
The city of Dallas, for example, has offered a $10,000 incentive to police cadets — even advertising the deal on Houston billboards.
And with a starting salary of $41,690, Dallas is reeling in recruits from Houston, where the base pay is just $29,000.
"The field has never been as competitive as it is right now, and you've got to do something," said Capt. Dwayne W. Ready, who heads up HPD's human resources division.
The proposal, supported by Mayor Bill White, is expected to go before the City Council on Wednesday.
Officials with the Houston Police Officers' Union, however, have criticized the bonus plan, characterizing it as a Band-Aid solution to a more serious problem of HPD's uncompetitive pay scale and warned it could hurt morale.
The department employs about 4,800 officers, and Police Chief Harold Hurtt wants at least 6,100 to keep pace with the city's population growth, said Executive Assistant Chief Martha Montalvo, who oversees HPD's administrative operations.
Given the disparities in salary between Houston and Dallas (and similar signing bonuses in Dallas), city leaders may actually need to consider a boost in salaries along with the signing bonus.
Surely if the City of Houston can throw money at so many of the mayor's pet projects in a time of record revenues, it can actually fund essential city services (like policing) at the necessary levels.
RELATED COVERAGE: KTRK-13.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/18/08 10:13 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (4)
24 April 2008
KTRK: How accurate are HPD's crime stats?
KTRK-13's Tom Abrahams reports that there are more problems with reporting of crime statistics at HPD:
How safe is your neighborhood? You might not be getting the whole story from police, when it comes to certain types of crimes that are going on.
Eyewitness News has spent five months looking into the way the Houston Police Department codes and reports crimes. We asked for an explanation to what we found a week ago, and sent the department copies of what we found. As of tonight we've not gotten any explanation, though the chief did talk about the issue in general.
On a stretch of road a year ago, Houston Police Officer Eric Dargin is accused of stopping a woman and then sexually assaulting her. He's charged with the crime. Prosecutors say they have DNA evidence. His next court date is in June.
But if you check HPD's crime statistics, you won't find his case listed at all. You also won't find at least six other sexual assault cases in which the suspect was charged. And there are another eight listed as less violent crimes, calling into question the legitimacy of HPD's reported crime statistics.
[snip]
Eyewitness News also found 20 charged aggravated assaults that HPD coded as lesser crimes. While coding a crime is not a science, there are the Uniform Crime Reporting guidelines, called UCR, which tell officers to code the most serious crime if more than one is committed.
Are they always doing that? Is the reporting consistent? Without HPD statisticians answering our questions about specific cases, it's hard to know.
Here is Chief Hurtt's response to Abrahams' questions about the coding problems:
HPD Chief Harold Hurtt said, "(They're) as reliable as human beings are, I guess."
That's as helpful as ever. Thanks Chief Hurtt!
When KHOU-11's award-winning reporter Mark Greenblatt reported last year that HPD was underreporting murders, the response from Chief Hurtt (and his ghostblogger) was underwhelming, to say the least.
Maybe this time around, HPD will actually try to figure out these reporting problems, and will get the local media some answers. We do look forward to hearing from Chief Hurtt's ghostblogger, though (and maybe even Martha Montalvo, who is always entertaining!).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 04/24/08 11:12 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (1)
22 May 2006
Stiles: HPD modifies bonus program, neglects to brief press
Over the weekend, Matt Stiles reported that HPD has quietly modified a bonus program after questions were raised by Chronicle reporting on the subject:
Houston police have quietly removed supervisors from a bonus program intended to reward top fleet mechanics, according to a month-old department memo released Friday.
Assistant Chief Norman Wong said Friday that he issued the directive April 12 because he couldn't find documentation that the supervisors and certain other employees were eligible for the program, which had been started by a previous fleet manager.
Fleet supervisors were paid $300,000 from January 2004 to March, the Houston Chronicle reported last month based on an analysis of payroll records.
[snip]
The memo was issued on the same day a Chronicle reporter interviewed Mayor Bill White about the supervisors' bonuses and two days after an interview with Wong's immediate boss about the same topic.
Executive Assistant Chief Martha Montalvo said during an April 10 interview that the program was "obviously meant for mechanics, parts people, service writers." She and the mayor said at the time they would look into the matter, and the date of Wong's memo suggests the department took quick action.
But Wong said Friday that the timing was coincidental and that when he issued the memo he was unaware of the Chronicle's inquiries about bonuses for supervisors.
It was unclear why police officials didn't mention the policy change when interviewed in April, or for more than a month after the story was published.
Actually, it seems fairly clear that someone at HPD probably hoped Stiles would drop the ball after the initial watchdog reporting, and that the program could quietly be changed without anyone at HPD ever having to explain it to the public more fully. Somebody at HPD is most certainly underestimating Stiles.
Back in April when Stiles and Steve McVicker reported on another HPD bonus program, our intrepid police chief had this reaction:
Hurtt, who learned about the high overtime pay after Chronicle inquiries, said he doesn't worry about the public's perception of the spending.
Apparently somebody at HPD must be worried about the public's perception about the first program, if they tried to sneak this change in the program by the local press.
UPDATE: Post edited for clarity, since it is referencing two different bonus programs.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/22/06 07:48 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (7)
17 April 2006
City Hall performance-pay investigation continues (updated)
Remember back in early March, when the Chronicle Editorial LiveJournalists argued that there was nothing to see, and that it was time to move on from the City Hall bonus scandal?
Here's an excerpt from their editorial:
The district attorney is deciding whether to charge the four city employees. With both Mayor White and Councilwoman Alvarado providing full cooperation, the investigation of City Hall's bonusgate should be quickly put behind us.
Thankfully, nobody pays much attention to the Editorial LiveJournalists, certainly not the Chronicle's City Hall reporters, other local journalists, or local law enforcement. And so, following a March 24 story by Chronicle reporters Matt Stiles and Alexis Grant that analyzed HPD's odd bonus program for its mechanics, it appears that city officials AND the Harris County District Attorney's office are looking into the HPD bonus program.
KPRC-2 posts the following AP dispatch:
City Controller Annise Parker believes the department needs to review the plan.
"It shouldn't be a supervisor getting a bonus because his subordinate hits a target. It should be a supervisor getting a bonus because he exceeds his job," she said.
[snip]
Parker said the payments create the appearance that bosses give subordinates extra pay in an effort to increase their own.
With almost all mechanics earning incentive pay, Parker said the bar is set too low and the program's performance standards need to be completely re-evaluated.
Police commanders are also reviewing the program.
Executive Assistant Chief Martha Montalvo said police managers are sometimes eligible for incentives, but she isn't sure whether that should be the case for those in the fleet program.
"I don't think there was anything illegal about it. Would I like to make changes to it? Of course," she said.
But Montalvo said the program is worth the money because the average number of marked police vehicles available has increased about 5 percent since 2002. The productivity also has allowed the mechanics to work on other departments' vehicles.
Support staffers, such as inventory clerks, car attendants and administrative assistants, also get commissions if the mechanics beat expectations.
[snip]
Mayor Bill White has ordered a review of all the city's incentive pay plans but has defended them in general, saying, "Modern, successful organizations pay for performance."
Matt Stiles and Alexis Grant followed up on their original story:
Payroll records show that at least 12 fleet supervisors received extra pay under the police program. The bonuses were similar to those of the mechanics, who got more than $1 million since 2004 for speedy repair jobs. One of those mechanics earned more than $95,000 in extra pay, the Chronicle reported last month.
The fleet supervisor who received the most incentive pay was a shop manager. He got $47,000 extra during the period examined by the Chronicle. The division's second-highest ranking supervisor, who is responsible for administering the overall fleet-incentives program, got $32,000. Four other supervisors received more than $30,000 each, records show.
[snip]
Support staffers, such as inventory clerks, car attendants and administrative assistants, receive commissions if the mechanics beat expectations. Supervisors also get bonuses, depending on how well their mechanics perform, said Lt. Robert Manzo, a department spokesman.
Almost all the mechanics earned incentive pay. At least 34 of them were paid more than $10,000 since 2004, records show.
The number of mechanics receiving bonuses, Parker said, suggests that the bar is set too low.
"They need to completely re-evaluate what the performance standard is and base it not on some national average for people across the industry, but for mechanics in their shop who are doing jobs on the same cars over and over again," Parker said.
[snip]
Police officials declined requests for interviews with the incentive-pay recipients. They have not provided documentation showing that former Chief C.O. Bradford, who ran the force when the bonuses began as a pilot program in late 2002, signed off on the idea. Bradford could not be reached for comment.
"What I've been told is that the program was approved. I have not been able to find documents with signatures," Montalvo said, adding that officials in the city's Human Resources and Finance and Administration departments also searched without success.
It wasn't hard to guess that the Lee Brown/Clarence Bradford Reign of Error would come into play at some point.
It will be interesting to see what other matters come to light, as journalists and law-enforcement officials continue to investigate the matter (and to ignore the hapless Chronicle Editorial LiveJournalists, who really ought to take their own bizarre Easter advice and go on a pilgrimage -- preferably a LONG one).
UPDATE (04-18-2006): I've made a few minor edits above for clarity, in response to points raised by Matt Stiles in the comments.
UPDATE 2 (04-18-2006): Harris County District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal informs us that his office is not looking into the HPD mechanics' performance pay, and that reports to the contrary are erroneous.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 04/17/06 10:35 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (7)
19 September 2006
Crime lab investigation stalled; Mayor has no opinion
The Chronicle reports that the city is still dragging its feet on spending the money necessary for Michael Bromwich's team to finish its investigation of HPD's crime lab:
The only comprehensive investigation of the Houston crime lab remains on hold, three months after dwindling funds stalled the probe that first exposed evidence of serious problems such as falsified test results and the tailoring of reports to fit police theories.
While Police Chief Harold Hurtt has expressed support for completing the inquiry, another high-ranking police official has said it is not worth the $1.5 million investigators are seeking. Several City Council members also have raised doubts, and Mayor Bill White has been noncommittal.
[snip]
"My question to Mr. Bromwich is, basically, 'What are you going to provide in that $1.5 million that we haven't already received?' " Executive Assistant Police Chief Martha Montalvo said at a July 25 council committee meeting.
Hurtt, however, has said he would like to see Bromwich complete the probe.
"The money would have to be worked out by City Council," he said after Montalvo's comments, "but we ought to let him finish up his job."
Harris County District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal, who last year provided $500,000 to help with the probe, agreed Monday that the team should be allowed to complete its work.
Hurtt and Rosenthal are right. The city has already spent a considerable amount of money on this investigation, which is not complete. HPD's crime lab fiasco has cast doubt on this area's criminal justice system. Finishing this important investigation into what went wrong really is not optional.
The stunner here is Mayor White's refusal to take a stand one way or the other, just as he has refused to take a stand on his soft-on-crime police chief's temporarily suspended no-chase policy. We elect leaders to lead. So it's time for Mayor White to push this investigation to its rightful conclusion, or to explain why investigating past problems with our criminal justice system does not merit the expenditure (instead of hiding behind an executive assistant police chief).
This is one area where money shouldn't even be that big a concern, but here's a win-win proposal -- since Mayor White continues to insist that his red-light-camera revenue stream really isn't about the money, surely he can't object to setting aside revenues generated by the red light cameras to fund the conclusion of Michael Bromwich's investigation of HPD's crime lab.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/19/06 12:11 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (8)
22 May 2005
Exposing the "safety" myth of red light cameras
Since it appears Houstonians will now face two different standards for red light offenses (criminal, if written up by a police officer; civil, if caught on camera) let's look back at the City Council minutes from last December when Council debated the issue. What I find especially noteworthy is that in public comments several people suggested lengthening yellow light times, and several councilmembers appeared to be interested in the idea, even asking city officials (Mayor White included) if it had been studied. The disappointing response from one city official follows: (pdf, page 7):
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/22/05 08:37 PM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (9)
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