HOUSTON—Like many police departments across the U.S., HPD Chief Charles McClelland and city leaders have been forced to make significant budget cuts.
And the new HPD budget, finalized two weeks ago, will mean fewer officers on the street.
11 News analyzed the new budget and found that overtime – normally used to fill vacant shifts or put more officers in crime-ridden areas – has been cut by $2 million. Overtime funding is $14 million less than it was two years ago.
Cadet classes have also been cut – even as a large number of veteran officers are retiring.
So Chief McClelland and his fellow officers are scrambling to get citizens involved.
“Our personal safety and protecting our property starts at home,” McClelland said. “If you have the time, get involved. If you don’t have the time, make the time.”
The department hosts PIP – Positive Interaction Program – meetings all over the city once a month. The meetings give citizens the opportunity to learn about crime trends and ongoing investigations in their neighborhoods.
The knowledge has already made a difference for some.
“Just one example – we did a burglary of a motor vehicle campaign here for about six months, and burglary of a motor vehicle in some areas have been reduced by 10 percent,” Officer James Sabota, PIP coordinator, said.
But knowledge isn’t the only crime-fighting tool police are advocating. So are crystal-clear surveillance cameras.
McClelland is urging business owners and homeowners alike to invest in security cameras and burglar alarms.
“Everyone is concerned about the budget. We are hearing about it in the news every day. They are having long meetings about it down at City Hall,” Katherine Cabaniss, Executive Director of Houston’s Crime Stoppers, said.
Houston has the most successful Crime Stoppers program in the country – a program that relies on financial donations from the community.
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Via: KHOU.com
