Remember last week when KHOU-11 excitedly reported on HPD’s sweeps of apartments:
Houston police officers have been going undercover for weeks, arresting thousands.
We questioned that figure at the time. As the Chronicle reports today, it wasn’t accurate:
A police crackdown that dispersed 100 officers per day to five high-risk apartment complexes has netted more than 300 arrests since the program began earlier this month, authorities said.
“Houston is not safe for criminals, and we’re making it much less safe for criminals every single day,” Mayor Bill White said Tuesday at a news conference to announce the preliminary results.
The Strategic Tactical Operation Program is the latest initiative rolled out by the Houston Police Department to curb rising crime rates in southwest Houston.
“The overall goal of (STOP) is to direct resources where they are most needed; saturate the area; and actively engage in crime suppression, criminal apprehension and the restoration of order,” said HPD Capt. M.E. Lentschke .
More than 600 criminal charges were filed since June 2, police said, when the additional contingent of HPD officers began patrolling the targeted apartment communities.
Of course, it wouldn’t be Hurtt/White-style crimefighting if it didn’t have a goofy acronym.
Maybe the Chronicle should send Mike Tolson out to interview some of the residents of the apartments that HPD has targeted. Those residents would probably appreciate his telling them that all their fears are irrational and that crime is a lot like hemlines and home prices!
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