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11 March 2009
MayorWhiteChiefHurtt: Blame the feds!
Most blogHOUSTON readers have surely been following the news of another needless shooting of a Houston police officer by an illegal immigrant.
Part of the problem is that HPD remains understaffed, a circumstance bestowed upon MayorWhiteChiefHurtt by the Lee Brown Administration (former members of which are now running for Council and Mayor) but one they really haven't done much to address.
Part of the problem is that Houston remains a sanctuary city.
And part of the problem is that federal immigration policy obviously isn't getting the job done.
All of that being said, these grafs from an Isiah Carey blog post take blame-shifting to a new level:
White says the answer lies in federal dollars and the sharing of up-to-date intelligence with local police departments.White flanked by Police Chief Harold Hurtt says Houston is not a sanctuary city and they need the help to get the illegal criminals out!
Don't blame us! We're just helpless bystanders in denial! What fine leadership from MayorWhiteChiefHurtt.
The truth is, this is a big problem that can't be blamed on any one thing, but the dynamic duo's policies, denial, and blame-shifting certainly haven't done much to help the problem.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ MayorWhiteChiefHurtt: Blame the feds!"> 03/11/09 10:04 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (9)
26 September 2006
MayorWhiteChiefHurtt have a new spokesman
Posted by Kevin Whited @ MayorWhiteChiefHurtt have a new spokesman"> 09/26/06 10:52 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (0)
19 March 2008
MayorWhiteChiefHurtt duck questions on HPD family-violence policy
In this week's Houston Press, Rich Connelly details another example of our city's fine leadership on crime:
Texas Observer recently took a look at the Houston Police Department's method of handling family-violence calls and came away decidedly unimpressed.
HPD officers, TO said, are not required — as officers in other agencies often are — to seek arrest warrants for alleged abusers who have fled the scene. Instead they just tell the victims to, essentially, be careful out there.HPD Chief Harold Hurtt, who loudly proclaims domestic violence to be a priority, wouldn't talk with TO or with us, and the office of Mayor White — another loud proclaimer of the priority of fighting domestic violence — referred us to HPD.
Instead, the department spokesman was forced to talk substantively about the policy (or, rather, the lack thereof) and the department's manpower shortage.
Strange, but we think of that as MayorWhiteChiefHurtt's job -- especially since this is a pet issue (at least in speeches, sometimes).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ MayorWhiteChiefHurtt duck questions on HPD family-violence policy"> 03/19/08 10:40 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (3)
05 August 2006
Marticiuc letter criticizes MayorWhiteChiefHurtt
In a letter to the Chronicle criticizing a recent editorial, Hans Marticiuc continues his recent approach of tying criticism of Chief Hurtt to the mayor:
In the survey conducted by the HPOU of Houston police officers, we heard from approximately 50 percent of all officers and supervisors. More than 1,700 of these first responders went on record and said that they are concerned about Hurtt's ability to lead the department. Despite these very serious concerns, Mayor White has continued to defend Hurtt as the "best police chief in the country."
Even if he were the best in the country — and he's not — he still appears to be the wrong choice for Houston at the present time. Houston needs more than Band-Aid solutions and happy talk to solve the current crime problem.
If crime is up and the number of officers is down, something is wrong. HPD officers and supervisors know it, and the public knows it.
When are the administration and the police chief going to do something about it?
The full letter is here.
If he starts referring to MayorWhiteChiefHurtt, we'll know that he's reading blogHOUSTON.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ MayorWhiteChiefHurtt"> 08/05/06 09:43 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (0)
27 April 2006
Fighting crime: A van AND an acronym!
Yesterday, we learned that HPD would be breaking out a new crimefighting van to take on the rising murder rate.
Today's reporting suggests that HPD is breaking out all the stops. Not only will there be a new van to fight crime, but Chief Hurtt has unveiled a new acronym:
Houston police hope a new mobile command center will help fight crime in the city's most dangerous neighborhoods, KPRC Local 2 reported Thursday.U-net, which stands for Unified Neighborhood Enhancement Team, is a police station on wheels where officers can access information and process criminals.
[snip]
U-net was unveiled Wednesday at a substation on Fondren and West Bellfort in southwest Houston.
In a Lone Star Times exclusive, Matt Bramanti managed to get a photo of the U-Net van in action.
MayorWhiteChiefHurtt clearly have the bad guys on the run now!
BLOGVERSATION: Cigars, Donuts, and Coffee.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 04/27/06 07:29 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (1)
06 January 2007
East End fears rising crime
KHOU-11's Chau Nguyen reports that people living in Houston's East End fear that crime is rising, again:
There is a sense of fear among some residents in Houston’s East End, because they say crime is once again on the rise.
It’s happening on the southeast side of the area, near Harrisburg and 75 th.
Business owners and residents there say recent incidents indicate the safety of their neighborhood may be in jeopardy.
That can't be so, because MayorWhiteChiefHurtt keep saying that crime is now under control, and that crime is really under control if you take into account estimated population increases (some Chronicle reporters and/or editors who aren't very good at math say the same thing, interestingly).
In any case, the East End folks aren't waiting for MayorWhiteChiefHurtt to form a task force to look into their concerns:
Two years ago, crime got so bad that residents banded together to form their own patrols.
And they’re promising to do that again, as well as ask police to step up patrols to keep their neighborhood safe.
It's a shame that the city can't provide basic services.
Incidentally, the East End also has the most effective graffiti abatement program in the city.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/06/07 11:16 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (2)
22 May 2006
Hurtt: It's cheaper to hire civilian pseudo-cops than real cops
As KTRK-13 reported Friday, Hans Marticiuc is critical of the proposal:
"There's a lot of issues going about," said Houston Police Union President Hans Marticuic [sic]. "Is this the best use of money?"
Marticuic takes issue with the mayor's proposal. Not only does he think the money could be better spent elsewhere, he's not sure the public will respect a civilian the way they would a cop.
"There's a distinction between a police officer and someone else who is just working out there with the uniform who doesn't really have any authority or power," he told us.
What is most interesting about the KTRK report is not Marticiuc's criticism, but this paraphrase of Chief Hurtt:
Chief Hurtt says in the long run, it would be less expensive to do this than hire more officers.
Perhaps the paraphrase isn't accurate, but that sure makes Chief Hurtt sound unconcerned about HPD's critical manpower shortage, since the civilian officer proposal should, at most be considered a possible short-term solution to a manpower shortage at HPD that went ignored for too long by Houston's pols.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/22/06 07:28 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (2)
03 December 2005
Bad press forces MayorWhiteChiefHurtt to address manpower shortage
After a week of being blasted by the city's television media not to mention talk radio, MayorWhiteChiefHurtt now say they have a plan to deal with HPD's manpower shortage.
No, not simply an ordinance to require apartment complexes to pay for private security. That laughable "plan" of MayorWhiteChiefHurtt was ripped so badly that they've come up with this:
Police Chief Harold Hurtt will bring officers out of retirement and hire recruits before they've completed training as part of a series of initiatives announced Friday to address a manpower shortage that has plagued the Houston Police Department for more than a year.
Responding to a week of criticism that followed a deadly Thanksgiving holiday weekend with 14 homicides across the city, Hurtt also said he will adjust schedules and quadruple the department's overtime budget to get more officers onto the streets immediately.
Flanked by his command staff at a news conference, Hurtt acknowledged that the job would not be easy.
In the last two years, some 700 officers have left the department, many through retirement.
"We have lost 700 people-plus and the population's increasing — we just picked up another 150 to 200,000 people from Louisiana. So we have some significant challenges," Hurtt said.
Houston Police Officers Union President Hans Marticiuc called Hurtt's initiatives "a step in the right direction" but said he was "uncomfortable" with rehiring as many as 50 retired officers.
Hurtt's handling of the shortage became the subject of intense criticism Monday, when the union released a report indicating that response times to some 500 calls about property crimes and assaults from three police districts took officers anywhere from 90 minutes to 12 hours.
Hurtt's handling?
Mayor White's press shop is certainly effective at protecting the mayor from criticism, even though Mayor White, Chief Hurtt, and the City Council have all done their part to ignore HPD's manpower shortage, as we've noted here repeatedly (and as Chris Baker has been noting on his radio program for several years now).
It's amazing how quickly MayorWhiteChiefHurtt can put together a plan, however, when the city's mainstream media do their jobs and focus attention on the problem.
RELATED COVERAGE: KHOU-11, KPRC-2, KUHF-88.7.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ MayorWhiteChiefHurtt to address manpower shortage"> 12/03/05 05:19 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (1)
29 August 2006
HPD's manpower shortage, leadership continue to raise concerns
KTRK-13 ran a story earlier that's become all too familiar. As Kevin Quinn reported, a Houston man was involved in a non-injury traffic accident and called 911. He suspected the other driver was intoxicated, which he reported. He and the other driver waited for a cop for two hours. Additional calls were made to 911. Finally, he gave up on an officer showing up, and informed 911 that he would file a report with a substation. The driver suspected of being intoxicated drove away.
Here is HPD's response to KTRK:
HPD says it does take drunk driving very seriously, but these 911 calls were considered a lower priority because no one was hurt in this accident and the man who was allegedly driving drunk was not causing any sort of disturbance. They say simply that other calls with higher priorities were handled first.Police say they can only cover so much ground these days. They note again that they are short staffed by about 600 officers.
For all their talk of public safety, MayorWhiteChiefHurtt seem to deliver much more in the way of excuses.
Meanwhile, KRIV-26's Isiah Carey reproduces an email from a police officer describing his experience in the immediate aftermath of Chief Hurtt's now-suspended chase policy. We can expect more stories like this when Chief Hurtt's no-chase policy is eventually reinstated (and if Mayor White's praise of Chief Hurtt yesterday is any indicator, the policy will eventually be reinstated).
HPD is short on numbers, and the bad guys increasingly seem to perceive MayorWhiteChiefHurtt as soft on crime. That's really not a very good mix.
UPDATE: KTRH-740's Chris Baker has this to say on his page on KTRH:
I watched CH13’s report and at first I shook my head then I got mad and now I am furious.
I wonder how many arrest for drunk driving this guy has? Is it none? Is it three? We will never know because there were no cops available to arrest him. How embarrassing for a city of this size to not be able to investigate a drunk driver for two hours.
It is embarrassing.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/29/06 10:39 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (3)
21 October 2008
Chron: Great HPD beard controversy almost resolved?
Remember the controversy over MayorWhiteChiefHurtt's odd beard policy?
Apparently, the matter is creeping to some resolution, according to the Chronicle's Bradley Olson:
Houston appears to be on the brink of a settlement with four black officers who filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city in November to fight the police department's no-beard policy, city officials said today.
For those who may not remember, one rationale the city had laid out for fighting the suit is that police officers, as part of their duties as first responders, must be able to wear gas masks. Because some masks cannot seal onto a person's face if they have facial hair, beards were deemed a security risk.The four officers had sued the city, saying the policy was discriminatory because shaving exacerbates a skin condition that disproportionately affects black men.
Police Chief Harold Hurtt quietly revised the policy last week to make an exception for those who have a medical condition that prevents them from wearing a mask or respirator, according to a department memo obtained by The Houston Chronicle.
There's more in the blog post.
Why in the world this policy was such a priority for MayorWhiteChiefHurtt -- at a time of increased crime, police department understaffing, and scandals involving homicide reporting and the crime lab -- remains a complete mystery.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 10/21/08 09:22 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (1)
28 December 2005
That's why they're called Mrs. White
Now that television stations are reporting a spike in violent crime and MayorWhiteChiefHurtt can no longer ignore HPD's manpower shortage, it's not surprising that the Mayor's press office has turned to the previously disinterested Chronicle Editorial LiveJournalists to trumpet the administration's short-term "fixes" for the problem:
The mayor has asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide $6.5 million for a police task force to focus on troubled areas. This would be a good use of federal funds.The White administration is expected to push an ordinance next year that will require apartment complexes registering a high number of calls for police assistance to hire in-house security officers to protect residents. Such a law would allow for round-the-clock deterrence and law enforcement in high crime areas and make maximum use of regular police patrols.
It's only fair that apartment complex owners reaping increased revenues from storm-induced high occupancy rates should shoulder their share of the increased security costs. Their residents — and the city — will be safer from the threat of criminal activity. Vigorous anticrime measures are essential to making the rise in homicides a statistical anomaly rather than a long-term trend.
It would be lovely if Mayor White could con the federal government into supplying funds to rectify the HPD manpower shortage he inherited and largely ignored until recently, but a "task force" isn't much of a solution to the problem.
And Mayor White's notion of effectively privatizing policing for people who have the misfortune to live in high-crime areas is as offensive as his (and Dan Patrick's) original SAFEclear notion that people without $75 should stay off of local freeways.
The Editorial LiveJournalists (like MayorWhiteChiefHurtt) really haven't been that interested in HPD's manpower shortage over the last few years. If this is all they have to offer, maybe they shouldn't have bothered. But then, they do have Sedosi's nickname of Mrs. White to live up to.
RELATED: Mayor White's plan for crime -- let other people pay for it! (Lone Star Times).
PREVIOUSLY: Murders skyrocket; HPD chief says good luck protecting yourselves, Continuing the discussion of HPD's woes.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 12/28/05 09:45 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (0)
15 December 2005
HPD trying to boost traffic-citation revenue stream?
Richard Connelly speculates that HPD may be under the gun to boost the traffic-citation revenue stream:
You may have noticed it around town lately -- a half-dozen or so cop cars at some intersection, pulling over motorists in order to give the cars a good inspection and find something to ticket.
We've seen at least two of the operations recently, and it looked like HPD was either stopping every car to find a desperate serial killer or checking for green cards in an illegal-immigrant crackdown. Instead it appears they're just trying to make up for lost revenue.
From July to September of this year, the municipal courts raked in about $1.2 million monthly in traffic fines. In October that figure fell to $950,000.
That's quite a slip. And no one in the city bureaucracy is eager to talk about it, or whether HPD is under the gun to get more cash flow to replace the loss.
Municipal courts director Richard Lewis -- or, to be precise, a "very busy" Richard Lewis, as he described himself when he finally deigned to answer questions -- said he couldn't offer any reason for the dip and suggested we call HPD. The police department said it was a municipal courts matter.
Two court staffers told us that Lewis had been more forthcoming with them -- he had blamed the dip on the fact that police were working overtime responding to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
There's no question the city's revenue figures took a dip. What's less certain is whether the cops have stepped up their traffic-enforcement operations as a result. At a time when the department's getting heat for a manpower shortage and lengthy response times to citizen calls, you'd hate to think they'd be devoting a lot of effort to finding niggling things to ticket (especially if you're someone who got a ticket).
You'd hate to think it, but it really wouldn't come as a surprise. MayorWhiteChiefHurtt are serious about their revenue streams!
ANNE ADDS: Has HPD's "productivity policy" been rolled out city-wide? Maybe MayorWhiteChiefHurtt need to reissue the memo on the (don't say quota) policy, as a refresher for HPD officers.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 12/15/05 07:44 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (3)
20 October 2006
Murders up 25% from 2005
KTRH-740's Brent Fuller reports the following news:
Police Chief Harold Hurtt said Thursday that Houston has recorded 316 homicides in the 289 days from January 1 through October 16. He said that was about a 25 percent increase over the same period from 2005.
One can understand why Chief Hurtt heads to Phoenix on weekends. It's probably much safer there.
Have a happy Friday everyone!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 10/20/06 09:09 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (5)
06 April 2005
When will he get around to new police officers?
HPD Chief Hurtt wants new police badges:
More than a half a million dollars could be spent by the Houston Police Department to get new badges.t's a symbol of authority, and every Houston police officer has earned the right to wear one. While the shiny silver badges are marked with an identification number, the gold ones worn by higher-ranking officers are not.
"So there's no means of identification. When a citizen asks, 'Officer, I need your badge number.' And the supervisor says, 'Well, I don't have a badge number.' Apparently that's caused some problems for some folks," explained Hans Marticuic of the Houston Police Officer's Union.
The chief is said to be looking at replacing all badges with shield identification numbers, similar to what law enforcement in other large cities have. Marticuic says the money would be better spent elsewhere.
"You know, we would have about a $700,000 bill to go along with this," he said. "We're in a little bit of a budget crunch. I think there's other issues and other things to be spending money on at this point."
Chief Hurtt didn't want to talk on camera, but says he'll pitch the idea to the rank and file before a final decision is made.
Let's take a teensy trip down memory lane:
By year's end, the Houston Police Department will have lost an estimated 740 officers — as many as the city of Orlando employs — to retirement in a two-year period.
For comparison purposes, in 2003 the department lost 138 officers through retirement, resignation, termination or death.
And there may not be enough money available in the next two fiscal years to train replacements for even half the officers the department is losing. Or to hire the 1,000-plus civilians the department is missing.
[snip]
Mayor Bill White said through an aide Friday that it is possible more money will be found for additional classes during that period.
As we have learned time and again, when MayorWhiteChiefHurtt wants something, the money will magically turn up.
Except for more police officers.
But the remaining officers WILL have new badges and Tasers. And that will be very reassuring as we all watch the never ending crime report on the 10 p.m. news.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 04/06/05 06:44 PM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (0)
29 July 2006
Chron neighborhood section recaps crimefighting-by-acronym initiatives
Jennifer Friedberg's recent article for a Chronicle neighborhood section was inadvertently amusing for its recap of MayorWhiteChiefHurtt's various crimefighting-by-acronym initiatives:
The first phase of STOP began in early June and lasted about eight days. Uniformed overtime officers were in marked vehicles, patrolling the streets.
Phase two is now under way. Overtime officers patrol hot spots and run warrants on suspects.During a journey through some of the more dangerous apartment complexes in the area earlier this month, officer Edgar DeJesus of the Fondren Patrol Division said he has noticed the streets have been quieter since the programs started.
"It's zero tolerance to let people know we're out there and we're not going away," he said.
The problem, DeJesus said, is the programs are not a long-term solution.
"Once you clean up one side, they go to the next one," he said. "They just go elsewhere to do whatever mischief they're going to do and come back home."
The other three overtime programs that began earlier this year are the Crime Reduction Initiative, where uniformed and undercover personnel patrol the southwest corridor; a Neighborhood Enforcement Team Task Force, where patrol divisions deployed personnel to respond to calls for service; and a Unified Neighborhood Enforcement Team Task Force, where tactical teams worked with investigative personnel such as the homicide and robbery units.
The initiatives don't have an end date, Cannon said. HPD recently received $18 million in federal funding that will help pay for the overtime.
Let's not leave out the Fear Reduction Initiative or the Crime Van.
If MayorWhiteChiefHurtt don't exactly have the city's bad guys on the run with the acronyms, just wait till they break out Hooked on Phonics for the next wave of crimefighting!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 07/29/06 02:28 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (2)
28 May 2008
Putting space between MayorWhiteChiefHurtt
KHOU-11's Lee McGuire has details of a development in HPD's facial hair policy fight:
Houston City Council heard from those officers while debating whether to spend $150,000 on private attorneys to defend the no-beard policy.
Officer Raul Collins says he’s suing to get back on the street.
The Mayor is now suggesting mediation without going before a judge.
Since it appears HPD's basis for the policy is in question (gas masks do fit over beards, according to the officers), this is a ridiculous policy for the city to have to defend, and Mayor White probably would rather it just go away.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ MayorWhiteChiefHurtt"> 05/28/08 07:33 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (14)
26 July 2005
Ellis: HPD should stop ignoring violations of immigration law
KHOU-11's Doug Miller reports on a proposal by Councilmember Mark Ellis to allow HPD to stop ignoring violations of federal immigration law:
It stems from HPD's version of a "don't ask, don't tell" policy regarding illegal immigrants.
But one city council member wants police to start asking some simple, but pointed questions.
And that's raising some tough questions about what Houston police should do about enforcing immigration laws.
[snip]
A longstanding policy forbids Houston cops from asking people whether they're illegal immigrants.
Now a city council member wants that policy changed.
"We've had some rapists here in the city of Houston that were illegal immigrants," says City Council Member Mark Ellis. "We know that some of the terrorists that attacked New York back on September 11, 2001, we know that they were illegal immigrants. And so, when do we say, Enough is enough?"
Houston's police chief believes the policy makes the city safer, because it lets undocumented workers talk freely with police about serious crimes. And Houston's mayor agrees."I want the police out there stopping crime, catching criminals, locking them up in jail," says Mayor White. "And I want to devote all the resources to the police on that, not to do the job of the INS."
First of all, we know that's just MayorWhiteChiefHurtt spinning himself dizzy, since the highest-profile effort of the administration to stop crime and catch criminals has been devoting police overtime resources to harass downtown pedestrians as part of the great downtown jaywalking revenue stream.
MayorWhiteChiefHurtt should be more honest and simply state that he believes he has the authority to choose which federal laws HPD will enforce, or ignore.
Further, there is this bit of filler from a local professor:
One political analyst notes the term-limited council member is thinking about running for higher office.
"It's Mark Ellis running for senate or something else," says Jon Taylor of University of St. Thomas. "It's politics. I hate to say it, but that's what it is."
I hate to criticize such a devout Sooner fan, but that really doesn't address the advantages or disadvantages of the proposal by Councilmember Ellis. Is it good policy, or not?
On a related note, Kris Axtman has a piece for today's Christian Science Monitor on the dangers of our porous southern border, and the story even carries a Houston byline. Inexplicably, Axtman did not include exhortations from Mayor White and/or Chief Hurtt that they are much too busy harassing downtown pedestrians to worry about trivial matters like dangerous illegal immigrants.
UPDATE: This looks to be the hot topic on the Chris Baker program today, on KTRH-740.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 07/26/05 01:52 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (20)
03 May 2005
Local media helps city officials with red light camera issue (updated)
City officials may find these numbers, and more recent statistics that do not specify an accident cause, useful in making their case to the Legislature for the need to use cameras to identify red-light runners.
Isn't it nice that local media can help city officials make their case for red light cameras? If the media were really doing their job, they would provide both sides of the issue and point out that lengthening yellow light times is proven to reduce the problem. And it's something the city could do right now, at the worst intersections.
But, as we all know, that won't bring in any revenue.
UPDATE: A new KHOU-11 story says that Mayor White blames criminal defense attorneys for the problems he's having getting his revenue-generating red light cameras up and generating revenue. Did I mention these cameras are revenue generators?
Interestingly an attorney who opposes the cameras advocates...lengthening yellow light times!
[Attorney Paul] Kubosh says if safety were the city's real motivator, it could do better by re-timing lights and extending the yellow cycle. He's fighting the cameras for one simple reason. "The intersections can be set up to trap motorists. It is just a money grab," he says.
"If people stop running red lights, there won't be revenue. And I'd be the happiest person around," says Mayor White.
Except that some cities have been caught shortening yellow light times to increase revenue, and Washington D.C.'s mayor got himself into some hot water by inadvertently admitting that the cameras' main purpose is to make money for the District.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/03/05 10:57 AM | Houston Media | Technorati | Comments (1)
05 June 2005
A tip of the hat to the idealists
The Chronicle editorial board never misses a chance to take a shot at "bad guys," but we do have to admire the manner in which they've managed to twist the mess made of the HPD crime lab by the dynamic duo of Lee P. Brown and Clarence Bradford (two Chron "good guys") and the foot dragging on cleaning up the mess by MayorWhiteChiefHurtt (more "good guys") into a way to slam Harris County District Attorney and Chron "bad guy" Chuck Rosenthal for... well, for whatever it was he either did or didn't do or did too much of or not enough of or... yeah, whatever.
Give yourselves a pat on the back, idealists! Sometimes, you can still surprise even your friends at blogHOUSTON!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/05/05 08:04 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (0)
04 August 2005
Spoken like someone who's lived here a while
Ken Hoffman is skeptical about a good idea that's being floated:
Problem: People want to go downtown Friday and Saturday nights — to enjoy the restaurants and bars — but parking is a hassle and so expensive.
Solution: How about a deal where parking garages stay open Friday and Saturday nights and charge only $5? Then restaurants and clubs could offer $5 discounts to customers to cover the parking.
Pedicabs could be stationed at the garages to schlep people to Main Street.
Details are being worked out.
This idea makes so much sense, I'm amazed it's even being considered in Houston.
MayorWhiteChiefHurtt needs more potential jaywalkers to ticket.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/04/05 01:54 PM | Houston Life | Technorati | Comments (6)
05 February 2006
When TV reporters tackle social-science modelling...
KHOU-11 ran a story on Friday that purported to determine the effect of Katrina refugees on Houston crime:
So we calculated New Orleans' murder rate before Katrina. We then used that to estimate how many more murders there would be among 150,000 new residents, the estimated number of evacuees now living here.
We then compared that to how many murders there'd be using Houston's lower murder rate.
The result: if evacuees were involved in murders at the same rate in Houston as they were back in New Orleans, Houston would register about 80 more murders a year, or about seven more a month.
Using Houston's lower rate, there'd be only about 2 more murders a month.
The reality is that since September, HPD says there have been 26 Katrina-related murders, or about five a month.
In other words, Katrina evacuees seem to be involved in murder at a rate not quite as high as back in New Orleans, but higher than Houston's.
If the murders continue, Houston's overall murder rate would rise.
But will that really happen?
Consider what has happened at Fred Bhandara's complex.
Since the murder there in December, HPD has flooded this area with task force officers.
The complex added its own security patrols and Crime Watch program.
They've had no more murders at the complex.
About all this exercise tells us is that we have seen an increase in violent crime following the influx of Katrina evacuees. It's not unreasonable to ask if a criminal element among the Katrina evacuees is disproportionately responsible for the increase. But it's also important to keep in mind that HPD's manpower shortage was a problem before the influx of Katrina refugees. It may well be that the spike in violent crime is also reflective of that manpower shortage (though perhaps the Katrina influx has exacerbated the problem). A properly specified model would take that into consideration.
Now that the local press is finally reporting on HPD's manpower shortage with some regularity, MayorWhiteChiefHurtt are cognizant of the need to get someone else to pay for them to boost HPD's manpower after several years of indifference:
HPD will be asking Uncle Sam for $40 million to fund 400 new officers.
And crime stats will be used to make it's case: Houston needs help.
More power to MayorWhiteChiefHurtt if they can convince the feds to help us out, but the manpower problem is mostly one of our own politicians' making.
RELATED: New Orleans failures led crime here (Kim Cobb, Houston Chronicle).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/05/06 11:27 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (1)
23 November 2008
Houston should consider "broken-windows" approach to crimefighting
Over the little blog's short lifetime, we have posted with some regularity on broken-windows policing and CompStat, two approaches to crimefighting popularized by Rudy Giuliani in New York City (and treated with some disdain by MayorWhiteChiefHurtt).
The Economist runs some interesting news on a "broken-windows" social experiment:
A PLACE that is covered in graffiti and festooned with rubbish makes people feel uneasy. And with good reason, according to a group of researchers in the Netherlands. Kees Keizer and his colleagues at the University of Groningen deliberately created such settings as a part of a series of experiments designed to discover if signs of vandalism, litter and low-level lawbreaking could change the way people behave. They found that they could, by a lot: doubling the number who are prepared to litter and steal.
The idea that observing disorder can have a psychological effect on people has been around for a while. In the late 1980s George Kelling, a former probation officer who now works at Rutgers University, initiated what became a vigorous campaign to remove graffiti from New York City’s subway system, which was followed by a reduction in petty crime. This idea also underpinned the “zero tolerance” which Rudy Giuliani subsequently brought to the city’s streets when he became mayor.
Many cities and communities around the world now try to get on top of anti-social behaviour as a way of deterring crime. But the idea remains a controversial one, not least because it is often difficult to account for other factors that could influence crime reduction, such as changes in poverty levels, housing conditions and sentencing policy—even, some people have argued, the removal of lead from petrol. An experimental test of the “broken windows theory”, as Dr Kelling and his colleague James Wilson later called the idea, is therefore long overdue. And that is what Dr Keizer and his colleagues have provided.
The rest of the story is here.
We hope as the policing era of MayorWhiteChiefHurtt winds down and the mayoral race gets underway that the candidates will discuss (and embrace) innovative approaches to crime that continue to be proven effective -- especially since HPD remains short on manpower.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/23/08 08:29 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (2)
03 January 2006
Can Texas' concealed handgun law fill in where HPD can't?
Chris Baker wants to know if Houston has lost the war on crime. I don't know if I'd say Houston has lost the war, but Houston city Bigs need to get serious SOON, because it's a close call. And sending the FEMA an HPD bill is a crock. MayorWhiteChiefHurtt need to take responsibility for their inaction and pay whatever it takes to make Houstonians safe. Isn't that the Mayor's and Police Chief's first responsibility to those they serve?
He also thinks we don't need some New Yawkers coming down to Houston, when Texans can, ahem, take care of things, thank you very much.
BLOGVERSATION: Chris Baker (Laurence Simon)
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/03/06 04:22 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (0)
16 October 2006
KTRK CrimeTracker: There's some percentage of crime downtown, we think
KTRK-13 broke out the CrimeTracker to take a look at downtown crime.
Here's the online report:
Overall, violent crime is up 4%. Of the 138 reported violent crimes, 93 of them happened between 7pm and 7am.
On the 6 pm on-air broadcast, Andy Cerota reported that "about 50%" of those crimes happened between 7pm and 7am.
Obviously, 93 of 138 reported violent crimes is not "about 50%."
So, we're not really sure exactly what Cerota and the CrimeTracker have figured out about downtown.
We did see one woman interviewed, and she accurately described the homeless beggar situation: If you are a female downtown, it's quite likely you'll be approached by the growing hobo population.
That's not very appealing. But hey, at least MayorWhiteChiefHurtt have the renegade downtown jaywalkers under control!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 10/16/06 10:39 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (17)
05 August 2006
Crash and rob in southwest Houston
KTRK-13 reports another crash-and-rob instance:
Thieves went to the extreme to get inside a convenience store in southwest Houston Saturday. They crashed their car into it! Now, the owner has to deal with a mess.
"We might not know who do it," said Tina Roberts, a regular customer of Waddell's food store. "But God knows who the person is, too."
[snip]
"They bring a big truck, something like that," said store owner Gan Baloch. "They hit this door and came inside and took some money and cigarettes."
Baloch can't believe it. This kind of damage was done for $400 cash, some loose change, and all the Newports in the store.
Given HPD's manpower shortage and the priorities of MayorWhiteChiefHurtt, turning to God for help with security may not be such a bad idea.
PREVIOUSLY: Houston's bad guys grow more brazen.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/05/06 10:41 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (0)
03 July 2009
Mayor White: If HPOU wants more cadet classes, HPD officers can take a pay cut to pay for it
This is NOT senate-candidate White talking:
Houston’s largest police union, citing the death of six officers during Mayor Bill White’s tenure, called on the mayor and City Council this week to hire more officers, restore $14 million in overtime pay and overturn the long-standing policy of not questioning residents about their immigration status.
In a letter to White, Gary Blankinship, president of the Houston Police Officers Union, called last week’s slaying of veteran officer Henry Canales a “trifeca failure” of federal, state and city government to protect citizens and police officers from criminal illegal immigrants.
White responded with a news conference Thursday to make clear there would be no change in the department’s policy on illegal immigrants.
Adding four new cadet classes as the union wants would cost the city $20 million, requiring an increase in property taxes or a wide-ranging curtailment of city services that also would require laying off 500 civilian employees, White said.
Or, he said, the union could fund the cadet classes by voting to reduce their own pay by $4,000 an officer.
That is Mayor White speaking. First, he says there will be no change to Houston's sanctuary policy. You'll recall a few months back, senate-candidate White attempted to talk tough on illegal immigration, laughably saying that he was making it "a cause." Right. He said he would no longer "tolerate some of the excuses that we’ve heard about lack of resources." Which is exactly what MayorWhiteChiefHurtt have done for the past several years.
Second, he presents false choices to the HPOU and local Houstonians: the only way to get more staffing is to increase property taxes, curtail city services, or rank and file police officers could take a pay cut to pay for new police officers.
Hogwash. The city just gave $11 million to the Houston Arts Alliance, an agency that has proven it cannot manage the taxpayer dollars it is given. There's half the money right there. It would probably take our commenters a few nano-seconds to come up with other frivolous budget items that could be cut to fund the cadet classes AND overtime. How about getting METRO to fork over the money it still owes the city of Houston? That would fund the programs, and the city would still have money left over.
As Kevin Whited noted a couple of posts down, dealing with staffing issues will be the next mayor's problem, when MayorWhiteChiefHurtt are long gone.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 07/03/09 10:15 AM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (8)
20 March 2007
Rep. Isett's red light camera bill is up for discussion
Over at Grits for Breakfast, Scott Henson has details on state Rep. Carl Isett's proposed bill that could put an end to red light cameras in Texas:
Those concerned with using cameras instead of police officers for traffic enforcement may want to make their views known to the Urban Affairs Committee supporting HB 985 by Rep. Carl Isett, which will be heard there tomorrow.
[snip]
This bill takes that opposition one step further and prohibits speeding and other traffic enforcement in addition to red light enfocement via cameras at intersections. (In the Senate, John Carona has legislation that would split revenue between locals and the state.)
Scott also provides a thorough list of why red light camera programs are such a bad idea, especially when there are much better ways to minimize red light running -- ways MayorWhiteChiefHurtt wouldn't even consider.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 03/20/07 08:34 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (0)
29 November 2005
Continuing the discussion of HPD's woes
Chris Baker (KTRH-740) is asking listeners, "How safe do you feel?," as he discusses the state of HPD and Houston crime. (Here's the link to Kevin's excellent post from last night.)
He also wonders why the city won't do anything about graffiti, another topic that bH has covered, since graffiti is symptomatic of gang activity, and gang activity breeds crime.
Also, Hans Marticiuc, president of the Houston Police Officers' Union, is publicly criticizing HPD Chief Hurtt:
Hans Marticiuc, President of the Houston Police Officers' Union, analyzed data from a sampling of police districts and charged that some citizens telephoning in emergency calls for, even the most violent of crimes, had to wait hours before an officer was even dispatched to help.
“And these calls ranged from burglaries, burglaries of motor vehicles, shootings, robberies, robberies with weapons, sexual assaults, assaults, disturbances,” Marticiuc said.
The police union president had harsh words for Chief Harold Hurtt, whom he implies is incapable of leading the city's police force.“If this is the best police chief in the country, then I think the country may be in trouble,” Marticiuc said.
According to Marticiuc, during a heated discussion with the police chief, there was some mention that Chief Hurtt might lose his job over the data.
Marticiuc forwarded his data to Houston City Council members who are expected to raise questions at Tuesday afternoon's City Council meeting.
Marticiuc said the city should immediately increase police presence by instituting and overtime program similar to the plan introduced in the 1990s by former Mayor Bob Lanier.
To date, the most lip service MayorWhiteChiefHurtt have given to HPD's manpower shortage is to say that the city's new red light cameras will free HPD officers from traffic duty.
So, as Chris Baker asks, are Mayor White and Chief Hurtt fufilling the oaths they took?
KEVIN WHITED ADDS: I heard an ad on KTRH that KTRK-13 will be running a story on HPD's manpower woes on the 6 pm broadcast.
KEVIN WHITED ADDS MORE: KHOU's Janice Williamson has a story tonight on MayorWhiteChiefHurtt's ridiculous "response" to the murder wave:
In the past three months, half the homicides in Houston took place in apartment complexes.
That has Chief Hurtt calling for change. "You know, you get in and you talk to the residents, you talk to management and you encourage people to get to know their neighbors to get to know who belongs in the area," he said.
Chief Hurtt also wants to force apartments that have too many calls, to hire their own security.
[snip]
Chief Hurtt is to meet with Mayor Bill White Wednesday
An ordinance requiring apartments to have extra security could be on the City Council agenda within the next couple of weeks.
That is absurd. It's bad enough that MayorWhiteChiefHurtt are not doing their jobs. Council must stop rolling over for them, and insist they deal with HPD's manpower problem.
KPRC-2 also decided to report on the manpower shortage tonight:
"How many of those murders, before they ended up being a murder, was called in as a disturbance that we didn't show up at?" said Hans Marticiuc, with the Houston Police Officer's Union.
Marticiuc said the department is incapable of providing basic police services.
To back up the claim, the union analyzed police calls for the month of October in three high-crime districts. The analysis found that in over 500 calls for service, victims waited up to 12 hours and 39 minutes before dispatchers sent a patrol car. It took 8 hours and 29 minutes for an officer to be dispatched to a robbery, and a sex assault victim waited 5 hours and 23 minutes for an investigator to arrive.
The union puts the blame on HPD Chief Harold Hurtt.
"That is simply unacceptable," Marticiuc said.
Hurtt has not yet responded.
But the union took its complaints to Houston City Hall and to Mayor Bill White.
"This issue of people holding calls from intake and dispatch -- that's an issue that I think is a serious issue that I haven't quite got the right answer yet about what is going on there," White said.
Hasn't "quite got the right answer?!" MayorWhiteChiefHurtt have done their very best to ignore HPD's manpower shortage, and unfortunately the City Council and the city's media have mostly let them get away with it.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/29/05 03:42 PM | Houston Life | Technorati | Comments (5)
01 November 2006
Lacking a sense of civic duty
While Houston's red light cameras may be cranking out the tickets like crazy, many of those on the receiving end aren't rushing to pay the fines (via KTRH-740):
Only 11 percent of people who received a red-light camera ticket in September paid the fine before the end of the month, according to the City Controller's financial report. The paid tickets brought in less than $10,000 in revenue compared to the expected $84,000 in issued tickets.
People who did not have an issue with the citation paid their tickets said Houston Police Captain Dwayne Ready. "They looked at the picture; they looked at the evidence and just submitted their payment."
Ready said red-light camera runners have 45 days to pay the fine, so no payments were past due at the time the September report was posted.
Come on, people! MayorWhiteChiefHurtt and ATS are counting on you!
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/01/06 09:00 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (5)
31 January 2006
Don't take the kids to Memorial Park
Riding through Memorial Park’s Picnic Lane loop is popular among bicyclists. But it is also a hotspot for illicit rendezvous.
Houston Police Officer Kenny Cech took 11 News into the woods next to the bike loop and next to an abandoned restroom.
He showed where he arrested two men having sex just last Sunday—All happening in broad daylight.
Cech said he doesn’t know why this is happening at Memorial Park. “Parks in general attract people of this type,” he said.
According to HPD, for every arrest made they are more incidents they can’t catch. And often times it’s the park patrons who are the witnesses.
The latest arrests came after a father and his 8-year-old son caught the men in the act.
The result is that police patrols have been increased, which is unfortunate in light of HPD's manpower shortage. Let's hope that MayorWhiteChiefHurtt will have HPD's staffing issues under control by the time downtown's showcase park opens up.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/31/06 09:41 PM | Houston Life | Technorati | Comments (10)
15 December 2006
Keep an eye out for 790's sports van!
The Chronicle's sports media guy David Barron posts the following to his blog:
This may sound like a radio station engaging in promotional hype, but KBME (790 AM) talk show host Carl Dukes swears it's true.
Dukes says that station employees prepared a 50-foot by 75-foot banner reading "Carr Must Go" to be signed by Texans fans who support the contention that the Texans need to replace quarterback David Carr.
Before employees could take to the road with the banner, however, Dukes says someone stole the station van with the banner inside.
"This is like high school, where your mascot gets stolen," Dukes said. "How do you steal a vehicle that has '790 The Sports Animal' on it and think you'll get away with it?"
As of today, the vehicle, and the banner, remain at large.
Dukes is kidding, right?
Surely he realizes we're short hundreds of police officers and crime is soaring. We've grown pretty accustomed to brazen crime under MayorWhiteChiefHurtt.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 12/15/06 08:39 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (2)
20 January 2007
Put red light camera money to good use
Yesterday ten more red light cameras starting clicking away in Houston; for safety purposes, of course, not revenue purposes (wink, wink).
Interestingly, Charlotte, North Carolina, ended its red light camera program last week after a state appeals court said revenue generated from fines must be turned over to public schools. It would seem Charlotte city officials weren't that interested in safety if it meant losing ticket revenue while still having to pay the camera vendor.
Closer to home, MayorWhiteChiefHurtt could prove their dedication to safety by giving all Houston red light camera revenue to a very worthwhile cause: funding an adoption-only municipal animal care facility.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/20/07 10:58 AM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (4)
14 October 2008
City: Pay your red-light ticket or we won't let you reregister your car
According to the Chronicle, the city has been searching for a way to get everyone to pay up:
City officials hope to step up enforcement of Houston's red-light cameras by getting the state to deny vehicle registration renewal to drivers who do not pay up after repeated warnings.
A quarter of the drivers nabbed by the cameras have never paid the $75 citation. The result, officials said, is more than $7 million owed to city and state coffers.
Under a plan before the City Council this week, the city will work with the Texas Department of Transportation to place a "hold" on vehicle registration renewals until motorists' red-light penalties are paid. If approved, the plan could take effect before the end of the year.
"There are no consequences for not paying," admitted Joseph Fenninger, the chief financial officer for the Houston Police Department. The proposed arrangement will finally give the red-light camera program some "teeth," he said.
Under state law, the city cannot issue an arrest warrant for an unpaid red-light camera violation. What's more, Fenninger said, the violation does not go on a motorist's driving record, since it is an administrative violation, not a criminal one.
The municipal courts also will use the "hold" process to enforce other traffic violations, such as speeding or running a stop sign. The court issues some 11,000 such "failure-to-appear" warrants per month.
It's hard to see how this could go wrong, you know, with the outstanding way the city's new municipal courts' computer system is working:
Paul Bettencourt, the Harris County Tax Assessor, says the city needs to move cautiously before using registration holds as an enforcement tool. His office handles vehicle registration on behalf of TxDOT.
"There are a significant number of technical things that have to happen first," Bettencourt said. "We've given the city a long list of items to consider, and we have not heard back."
The city must make sure its violations data is accurate and updated, and matches information kept by TxDOT, he said.
"Otherwise you send thousands of people on merry-go-round trips," he said.
Bettencourt referred to the problems the municipal courts have had in recent years with an inadequate computer system.
"It's still something I want to see they have fixed," he said. "If I don't think the data's correct, I won't do it. I'll tell TxDOT not to do it."
When there's an oops, will the city reimburse for lost wages, and other expenses related to drivers' having to clear things up?
MayorWhiteChiefHurtt knew it was implementing a system that had no teeth. The city made this decision so as to get the cameras up and running (and generating revenue) as fast as possible, with as few hurdles as possible. Now the city wants to get the state involved in enforcement; however, the state tells us in ads that we are being good Texans when we register our vehicles on time. So now MayorWhiteChiefHurtt want to throw the problem THEY created onto the state's plate, and get the state to finish enforcing the city's revenue stream.
The state should say no, but don't hold your breath.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 10/14/08 05:02 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (14)
18 September 2007
Carey: Clarence Bradford kicks off DA campaign at the Aquarium
Fortunately, only one of them -- Clarence Bradford -- is returning to local politics.
As Carey reports, Bradford says there is a crime problem in the community (which must come as news to MayorWhiteChiefHurtt) and he is the man to tackle it.
We hope that in the upcoming campaign, reporters will force Clarence Bradford to address the HPD crime lab problems that developed under his tenure as HPD chief. The public (still) deserves answers about his (mis)management of the crime lab.
BLOGVERSATION: Off the Kuff, Greg's Opinion.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/18/07 09:58 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (11)
11 August 2006
Revenue stream manpower needs trump west Houston crime concerns (apparently)
The above photo was taken just before 4pm, at the Spur 527/Louisiana exit. Two HPD cops/patrol cars are involved in a speed trap. The officer with the radar gun appeared to be shooting cars while they were still on the Spur 527 proper, then waving them over to the other cop.
So sorry to you folks in west Houston who are suffering from murders and such, but MayorWhiteChiefHurtt really have more important dutie$ for HPD manpower than redeploying it to tackle your violent crime. Good luck with that private police force!
PREVIOUSLY: Sallee: Best to mind your speed on Spur 527, Is the city cranking up the Spur 527 revenue stream?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/11/06 04:31 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (19)
15 March 2009
Lykos announces DNA testing policy, calls for regional DNA crime lab
Earlier this week, Harris County DA Pat Lykos announced that moving forward, the DA's office will test DNA evidence in all cases where it is available and relevant.
The new policy was rolled out in response to a 2003 case in which an innocent man, Ricardo Rachell, was wrongly convicted of sexual assault of a minor. Lykos laid some blame on the HPD Crime Lab, which was dysfunctional at the time the case was proceeding. Flanked by HPD Chief Harold Hurtt, Lykos apologized for the "cascading, system-wide breakdown" and also called for the creation of a regional DNA crime lab.
Lykos rightly drew praise for this move, from such diverse quarters as former prosecutor Murray Newman, defense attorney Mark Bennett, and the Chronicle's metro/state plagiarist Rick Casey. Indeed, we can't imagine why the move wouldn't draw praise, which is why we didn't see much need to comment on the obvious earlier in the week.
However, the real devil will be in the details. It's one thing to call for a regional DNA crime lab, which we agree is a good idea. In the meantime, however, the ongoing problem of confidence in the HPD Crime Lab looms, and apparently that is yet another problem that will pass from MayorWhiteChiefHurtt to the next administration. Local CompStat/policing activist Jay Wall reminds us that in 2005, the New York Times reported that the crime lab in 2002 had a testing backlog of nearly 19,500 rape test kits, and had only reduced that number to 10,000 by 2005; he rightly asks why HPD wasn't performing those tests back then. We haven't heard where the number stands today, but we'd be shocked if the backlog has been eliminated. Clearly, we need leadership other than MayorWhiteChiefHurtt to move this forward, so kudos to Pat Lykos for taking it on. We hope she makes it a real priority.
We were amused that one Democratic activist welcomed the move, but nonetheless spun it as Lykos stealing Clarence Bradford's DA campaign proposals. This same activist neglected to mention that one big reason the HPD Crime Lab was dysfunctional at the time of the Rachell case was the mismanagement of HPD's chief at the time, none other than Clarence Bradford.
Bradford, incidentally, is currently running for the City Council At-Large Position 4 seat.
The full Rachell Report is available on the Chronicle website here, in pdf format.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/15/09 07:03 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (4)
10 April 2006
A case for the Fear Reduction Initiative taskforce
KTRH-740 reports that some northeast Houston apartment dwellers are turning to the Almighty for help with crime:
A handful of residents of a Northeast Houston apartment complex came together over the weekend to pray, following recent drive-by shootings that claimed two lives.
One woman who has lived at Crofton Place Apartments for 22 years says she's moving out, claiming the complex has become too dangerous. As a group of youngsters played near a sign saying "Drive slow. We love our children," residents offered up prayers for the two shooting victims.
Deric Muhammad with the Millions More movement says some residents feel the shootings were the result of gang warfare, while others think the deaths stem from a drug deal gone wrong. Still others blame random violence.
Surely upon hearing this news, MayorWhiteChiefHurtt dispatched members of the Fear Reduction Initiative taskforce to calm these Houstonians.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 04/10/06 02:40 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (3)
14 June 2006
Councilwoman Lovell lashes out at HISD for gang killing
I can't find the story online, but last night KPRC-2 highlighted a bizarre outburst by Councilwoman Sue Lovell directed at HISD. She's decided to lay some blame for last week's gang melee and killing at Chew Park on HISD, saying that administrators at Lamar High School should have known there was a gang problem and that something was brewing. (I'm going off memory, but it was along those lines.)
KPRC did include a response from HISD that said the teenager who was killed didn't go to Lamar and the girl who is accused of the killing had only recently started attending the school.
If Councilwoman Lovell wants to constructively address what has become a big problem, she should start here, move on to here, and end up here...
...although lashing out at HISD is easier than taking on MayorWhiteChiefHurtt.
RELATED: Houston's Public Safety Crisis (Jay Aiyer)
UPDATE: KPRC now has the story posted.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/14/06 09:19 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (9)
15 January 2006
Neighborhood Protection unit focuses on graffiti (updated)
KHOU-11 posts some good news on the city's worsening graffiti problem -- MayorWhiteChiefHurtt are finally paying attention:
You might have seen it and police confirm it -- graffiti is popping up in more places.
Graffiti is popping up in more places around Houston.
This type of vandalism is exploding in Houston and there is one city department now appointed to erase the writing on the wall.
[snip]
In the past citizens turned to several different agencies for help, but those groups ran out of money. With the resurgence of graffiti, HPD’s Neighborhood Protection will now take on the problem.
“It’s huge,” said Assistant Chief Brian Lumpkin who heads the new unit.
He said his approach to erasing this problem is simple.
“Take some money that the mayor’s anti-gang office had for abatement and we’re going to train our inspectors to supervise probationers and trustees. And we’re going to come out as aggressively and as fast as we can start covering it up,” Lumpkin said.
[snip]
While Lumpkin’s group will target all graffiti, but first on his list are “The ones that are most hateful and the ones that are race related and the most hurtful,” Chief Lumpkin explained.
Chief Lumpkin said an inspector would check out locations two days after receiving a call.
They’ll place a yellow notice and let the owner know that they have 30 days to clean up the criminal mischief.
If an owner who can afford to clean up doesn’t, the city will spray away the problem and a lien will be placed on the property.
“We’re probably going to be hitting some other locations multiple times before we get it under control,” Chief Lumpkin said.
MayorWhiteChiefHurtt haven't wanted to spend money on this problem, but the explosion of graffiti is kind of hard to ignore after a while. It's good that citizen complaints and ongoing media coverage have finally prompted a response, although we'll reserve judgment until we see more in the way of results, and not just PR. Indeed, there's an abandoned building here in midtown that's a graffiti eyesore. I'll be reporting it to the hotline on Monday, and tracking the response.
The KHOU report says graffiti can be reported using the city's 311 number. They also give the Neighborhood Protection number: 713-884-3131.
UPDATE (01-16-2006): I called the last number listed by KHOU. I got someone whose name I didn't recognize at HPD. He told me the number I need is actually 713 525 2525. That number was not functional.
I then called the city's 311 number to report a graffiti problem. I listed the intersection of the problem property. The 311 operator told me the system will not accept an intersection, I must have a physical address. I told the operator that the address has been tagged over, the property is abandoned, and that I can't obtain the physical address or even a nearby address. I suggested that it is across the street from a city park, and perhaps she could obtain the address from that. Nope, she wanted a physical address, otherwise she couldn't report the problem. And she couldn't transfer me to Neighborhood Protection directly because today is a federal holiday.
So, right off the bat, the PR for this program already exceeds the actual functionality of the program, and my time has been wasted. I'll try to email various parties in the city about the incident I want to report as well as the deficiencies in the program, and we'll see if anything happens.
UPDATE (01-16-2006): About 5pm today, someone from 311 answered my email, thanked me for my concerns about the onerous reporting requirements of the phone line, and said my complaint had been entered in the database. I'll try to remember to follow up on the complaint.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/15/06 06:20 PM | Houston Life | Technorati | Comments (3)
05 August 2008
East End Chamber of Commerce Committee touts CompStat
An East End Chamber of Commerce committee is urging HPD to adopt CompStat (an approach to crimefighting that has been discussed here regularly):
The Crime Awareness Committee of the Greater East End Chamber of Commerce is endorsing and hoping to persuade the Houston Police Department to implement CompStat.
The crime-mapping system identifies and tracks established and emerging trends and enables law enforcement to share information in a more timely manner.
Committee members said they think the organizational management tool may help the police to better identify and combat pockets of crime throughout the city.
Committee chairman Larry Lipton hosted a recent meeting to detail the program. City Councilman Peter Brown gave a presentation about CompStat, which has been used in places such as Los Angeles, Philadelphia and New York City.
“This program takes data and gives it to police so that they can dispatch their forces efficiently,” said Lipton. “Our committee wants HPD to adopt this program.”
blogHOUSTON also wants HPD to adopt this program.
Unfortunately, CompStat proponents are going to have to work to convince the next mayor, because MayorWhiteChiefHurtt haven't shown much interest in the proven crimefighting approach.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/05/08 10:54 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (6)
12 December 2007
Management districts take on graffiti abatement
The Chronicle's Seshadri Kumar reports that management districts are taking on a bigger role in graffiti abatement:
Gangs and graffiti have a new adversary to reckon with — management districts.
As part of their mission to enhance safety, mobility and the business environment, Houston area management districts have taken a more aggressive role — and are spending more money — to combat graffiti with abatement programs.
Last year, the Brays Oaks Management District contracted with the Greater East End Management District's graffiti abatement program to eliminate tagging within its boundaries.
The Greater Sharpstown Management District has followed suit, signing a three-month contract with the Greater East End District's graffiti abatement program to inspect its southwest Houston area two days a week, identify graffiti and remove it October through December.
Graffiti was removed from 221 public, business and private properties in October and 121 sites in November, said Steve Pittman, communications director for the Sharpstown district.
Graffiti hasn't seemed like much of a priority to MayorWhiteChiefHurtt, so it's good (we suppose) that some quasi-governmental bodies are trying to pick up the slack.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 12/12/07 10:23 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (5)
05 June 2005
MS 13 tag within sight of Houston public works facility?
Suspected MS 13 tag, Holman and Milam
The photo above is a recent bit of graffiti that I first noticed on a building on Holman and Milam around May 23. It would seem to be from either the MS-13 gang, or a copycat (it's missing the characteristic "13" that is usually included). It's hard for the layman to know, since HPD maintains an official policy of silence on MS-13 activity in the city of Houston.
Ironically, one can see the tag from a Houston public works facility located nearby, on Holman and Travis. Nothing quite says "well maintained city" like possible gang graffiti within sight of public works facilities (including the city's "bandit sign" trucks).
The local blog A Certain Slant of Light has been keeping a watchful eye on MS-13 activities in town, as well as local media coverage. Unfortunately, we'll probably be seeing more MS-13 related blog posts as the problem grows.
Perhaps when MayorWhiteChiefHurtt are done focusing overstretched police resources on the problem of those renegade downtown jaywalkers, they can bring some attention to the city's gang problem.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/05/05 04:14 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (1)
20 May 2006
Council to consider red light camera contract...again
On again, off again. On again, off again.
Now it's on again. Next week, City Council will address the red light camera contract MayorWhiteChiefHurtt want to give to ATS. A five year contract. Has anyone in a watchdog role seen the contract? How is it set up? Does ATS get a percentage of ticket revenue or is there a set fee? Who reviews the photos -- HPD or ATS? What happens when there is a dispute? Who's going to verify yellow-light times to see that intersections getting the cameras have sufficient time now and that they will not be shortened further into the program (to generate more revenue)?
The issue has been contentious, with White and other city officials saying the cameras would increase safety and reduce accidents. Critics contend they are intended mostly to generate revenue, and may increase rear-end collisions.
[snip]
The plan — which officials project could bring in $6.5 million in its first year — almost certainly will be delayed in a procedural move when the council hears it Wednesday.
If Mayor White wants to prove these cameras are all about safety and not revenue, he should send all the money generated by photo tickets to public schools or charity.
But that'll never happen.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/20/06 08:31 PM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (1)
14 March 2009
When Georgia increased yellow light times, red light camera violations tanked
On January 1, a new Georgia law kicked in forcing a one-second increase in the duration of the yellow warning light at intersections with red light cameras. The result has been devastating for red light camera makers as violations -- and revenue -- immediately plunged for the months of January, February and March. Last week, the city of Norcross dumped photo enforcement. Now the UK-owned red light camera maker Lasercraft is offering its customers a 90-day suspension of service to prevent cities from dropping their automated ticketing contracts. The cities of Lilburn and Snellville accepted this offer yesterday and suspended their red light camera programs.
"With the passage of House Bill 77, effective January 1, 2009, there has been a precipitous decline in the number of citations issued through the program," Lilburn Police Chief J.B. Davidson wrote in a memo to the city council.
The mandated increase in signal time created dramatic and instant results. In 2008, Lasercraft issued an average of 1,559 citations each month. In January, that number dropped 80 percent to just 313. Norcross also saw an 80 percent drop in violations.
Not that MayorWhiteChiefHurtt would be interested in that approach for Houston.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 03/14/09 02:37 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (6)
31 August 2006
West Houston residents blast MayorWhiteChiefHurtt on crime
MayorWhiteChiefHurtt were grilled by West Houston residents on Wednesday night, as 1,700 people turned out to a public meeting on (what else?) violent crime and inadequate policing. Here is an excerpt from the Chronicle's reporting:
Katrina fatigue erupted into anger and frustration Wednesday night, as more than 1,700 west Houston residents urged Mayor Bill White to send evacuees home to New Orleans.
One year after the city of Houston welcomed at least 250,000 evacuees, more than 100,000 New Orleans natives still remain. West Houston residents who gathered Wednesday at Grace Presbyterian Church to address increases in violent crime over the past year in their community said evacuees are to blame.
White and Houston Police Chief Harold Hurtt had come to the church to discuss details of a new police division on the west side that will add 140 officers to the streets, increase investigative strength, bring gang activity under control and enforce traffic laws.While residents welcomed the news, many who filled the sanctuary to overflowing Wednesday night wanted to know when the city planned to cut assistance to evacuees through the Federal Emergency Management Agency. There are about 3,000 Katrina evacuees who reside in the apartment complexes near Westheimer and the Beltway 8.
As KTRH-740's Chris Baker pointed out earlier, HPD's manpower problem predates Katrina. Although it is true that Katrina refugees figure prominently in the recent rise in violent crime, the fact is that HPD's worsening manpower problem and leadership issues predate Katrina, and until recently nobody in the White Administration or on Council was even talking about hiring more officers.
One councilmember (who, incidentally, is one of the sponsors of tomorrow's event honoring Houston's bumbling police chief) actually tried to deflect blame for HPD's manpower shortage from Mayor White and Council to President Bush! Here's KTRK-13's reporting from tonight:
By 2008, Mayor White and Houston's police chief hope to bring the ranks up to 5,000 officers. It's achievable, but what happens the year after that or five years after that? With another 600 officers expected to retire over the next three years, Mayor White says he's committed to a long term hiring program.
The plan calls for seven cadet classes through June 2007. That's an addition of nearly 500 officers, assuming those classes are at capacity. It also calls for more aggressive overtime programs using the nearly 30 million in federal monies and various recruiting programs. How realistic is this?
Houston city councilmember Adrian Garcia said, "It was realistic until President Bush signed a pension reform bill."
Garcia estimates that 40% of HPD's workforce is eligible for retirement. But that's not his only concern.
He said, "Filling those classes is going to be a challenge. The type of officer that we are hiring today has a job waiting in corporate America and we don't offer corporate America salaries."
As the recruiting wars continue, Garcia says he and the mayor, along with the police chief and other city leaders, are now working on a long term solution to the current crisis.
Councilmember Garcia, Mayor White, and other councilmembers preferred to ignore the problem until recently (not that someone watching KTRK would know from that weak reporting), and it's only gotten worse. The current leadership at HPD, which has produced widespread dissatisfaction among the rank and file, doesn't exactly provide the city a recruiting edge, either. But maybe the crew that gathers to honor Chief Hurtt with cajun appetizers tomorrow will find a way to blame dissatisfaction with HPD's leadership on President Bush also.
ADDITIONAL COVERAGE: KHOU-11, KPRC-2, KTRH-740.
BLOGVERSATION: Lou Minatti, Polimom.
UPDATE (09-01-2006): Councilmember Michael Berry is discussing Houston's "public safety crisis" on his show on KPRC-950 today.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ MayorWhiteChiefHurtt on crime"> 08/31/06 11:22 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (27)
13 September 2007
KHOU: HPD "cracks down" on downtown-area homeless
KHOU-11's Karla Barguiarena reports that HPD is cracking down on crimes committed by the homeless:
For months, HPD says they’ve been inundated with complaints about crime committed by the homeless.
“You have everything from crimes being committed to cars being broken into, urinating, defecating in a public place,” Captain Gregory Fremin said.
Officers said squatters building shacks on abandoned downtown properties are another problem.
Walter Brooks says he and a handful of others have been living underneath a billboard for five months.
Until now, only two officers have been assigned to deal with the issue on a full-time basis.
The new plan calls for all downtown officers to keep an eye and ear out for homeless crimes while investigating other cases.
Right.
They might start by clearing out the growing homeless encampment under the Spur 527 overpass near Richmond in Midtown (the gateway in and out of downtown). Or the vagrants who have made certain abandoned buildings in Downtown/Midtown their home. Indeed, one doesn't have to look around much in Downtown/Midtown to find any number of places that could be cleaned up, if MayorWhiteChiefHurtt are indeed serious about the problem.
But we strongly suspect that this is just another one of those empty PR announcements that will have no effect on anything. We'll start to believe otherwise if the growing Spur 527 Homeless Encampment is cleared out anytime soon. (I'd take a photo of it, but one homeless person recently informed me angrily that I was not allowed to photograph near the encampment).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/13/07 11:18 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (14)
18 June 2008
Real Time Crime Center needs another $1 million
At the Houston Politics blog, Carolyn Feibel notes a budget item for HPD:
$1.06 million for additional software for HPD's crime analysis center.
That's the Real Time Crime Center MayorWhiteChiefHurtt touted as better than CompStat. In fact, Chief Hurtt called it "CompStat on steroids":
Hurtt says that specialized software will link together databases kept by federal, state and county agencies. It will help identify whether local crimes are part of a trend or cluster, even "forecasting" where crimes might occur, so the 60-member "crime reduction" unit can be dispatched quickly to that "hot spot."
The steroids metaphor may have been ill-timed considering the current baseball scandal. That said, however, Hurtt said that HPD visited NYC, Chicago and L.A. and adopted the "best practices" of each of those departments. And all for about $2.9 million, whereas New York's crime center cost $11 million.
Seems almost too good to be true.
Another million dollars? Was the program incomplete when the city bought it? Is this an upgrade? What is the extra million for?
And has anyone cornered Chief Hurtt for a definition of "CompStat on steroids"?
Regarding "best practices" of NYC, Chicago and L.A., do those police departments also undercount homicides?
KEVIN WHITED ADDS: Maybe that should be, CompStat on $teroids?
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/18/08 07:14 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (6)
17 January 2006
Chief Hurtt isn't rolling out the welcome mat for the Guardian Angels
The Guardian Angels have arrived and a KTRH-740 news break mentioned that Chief Hurtt is none too happy about it. This KHOU-11 story echoes that:
The Guardian Angels’ No. 2 man is in town from New York.
“We’re looking to be in Houston, in perpetuity, because the people of Houston want us here,” Arnaldo Salinas said.
But judging from his previous comments, Houston’s police chief will not welcome the red berets with open arms.
“I need to work with the police; it works better when we work together,” Salinas said. “But can I work alone? Absolutely, and I would.”
The Guardian Angels have a history in Houston. They patrolled the Montrose area in the 1980s, but this time they are starting from scratch.
For too long MayorWhiteChiefHurtt ignored talk of a police manpower shortage -- they have been focused on everything BUT public safety. You might say we have a world-class crime problem! Therefore, Chief Hurtt isn't in much of a position to complain about a private group coming in to help out, even if the group is just providing an unarmed presence in crime-prone areas. If Houston's top two public servants, who are charged with keeping the public safe, won't do their jobs, are citizens supposed just to sit there like bullseyes? I don't think so.
LOCAL TALK: Chris Baker is discussing HPD issues this afternoon, including the issue of the officer who was fired, then reinstated.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/17/06 04:16 PM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (4)
14 December 2005
Metro sponsors anti-crime rally
Here's a Metro press release on an anti-crime rally it held yesterday (although the release wasn't posted yesterday morning when I checked Metro's site):
This summer, with crime encroaching on the Southeast Transit Center, METRO police instituted a campaign to reduce illegal activity around the facility by increasing patrols and removing graffiti. The campaign worked, with the number of arrests for some offenses nearly tripling from September to October.
This afternoon, METRO is inviting the local community to join local government and law enforcement officials, to celebrate this success and encourage ongoing neighborhood participation in the program.
The rally will be held at 4 p.m. at the Southeast Transit Center, 6000 Scottcrest, near Scott and Old Spanish Trail.
Minister Robert Muhammad of The Nation of Islam, Precinct 7 Constable Mae Walker, HPD Captain Mark Fougerousse and Crime Stoppers Executive Director Kim Ogg will also discuss the importance of citizen involvement in crime prevention. Brochures on local crime prevention programs will be available.
Increasing police patrols and removing graffiti works? Someone tell MayorWhiteChiefHurtt!
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 12/14/05 10:16 AM | Houston Life | Technorati | Comments (4)
14 November 2007
GPS clearly shows HPD's manpower shortage (updated)
KTRK-13's Ted Oberg discovered that HPD's new GPS system affords the department the ability to know exactly where its officers are at any time. As Oberg also discovered, it shows how woefully short on personnel HPD is:
The mayor promises that one day...
"The criminals are going to have their hands full with HPD," said Houston Mayor Bill White.
But an Eyewitness News analysis reveals it's the other way around. HPD has its hands full just covering the city.
This summer, HPD outfitted patrol cars with GPS tracking devices. As officers drive around Houston, the devices send signals every few seconds detailing exactly where the patrol car is. It allows police dispatchers to see which officer is closest to a crime scene, but also reveals the secret of just how few officers are patrolling our city.
According to our analysis, there is an average of 268 officers available for 911 calls city wide any time of the day; not many when you consider a Houstonian calls 911 every 30 seconds. The highest number of on-duty units is at 3pm when there are 395. But at that hour, more than a third of them are parked at police substations.
The lowest number of units is at 2am, when just 186 officers are available to answer your call for help. It's also when Crime Tracker shows violent crime is near its daily peak.
"There just aren't enough and obviously your GPS will make someone think that," said Hans Marticiuc with the HPD Officers Union.
In the last year, the bodies of six women have been dumped in Acres Homes.
"Whoever is perpetrating these crimes believes the Acres Home community is a dumping ground and that they can do it and nobody is going to say anything," said HPD Assistant Chief Mike Dirden.
But maybe the killer knows no cops are watching. The last body was found in Acres Homes September 22. The GPS data from 10pm the night before shows the closest officer a mile away. At midnight, 1am and 2 am, there are officers on big streets, but not in the neighborhood where bodies have been dumped for more than a year.
"We just pray for more officers," said Acres Homes resident Roman Spiller.
When crime is peaking at 2 a.m., HPD has just 186 officers on patrol.
For years MayorWhiteChiefHurtt were warned that a manpower shortage was imminent, and for years, every other pet project was given a higher priority. Now that the mayor has decided to get serious about it, the city is having trouble recruiting officers, officers are left without ready backup, and (increasingly) citizens must fend for themselves in the critical early moments when a crime occurs.
UPDATE: On his blog, Ted Oberg notes that HPD officials aren't big fans of his, and in fact no one would go on-camera to discuss this story with him. Ah well. Maybe Chief Hurtt will blog about it.
KEVIN WHITED ADDS: HPD's refusal to speak with Oberg on this report and others, if true (and there is no reason not to believe Oberg), is stunningly arrogant and unprofessional. Even if HPD feels that a previous story by Oberg was problematic, the fact is that Oberg is a high-profile reporter for a well-regarded local news organization, and HPD is not helping to inform the public with petty "punishment" of reporters doing stories that MayorWhiteChiefHurtt may not like.
PREVIOUSLY: KPRC: HPD response times continue to worsen
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Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/14/07 05:12 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (8)
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