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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