Tag Archives: HPD

On county jails and treating mental illness

Posted on January 4, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

There’s really only one thing that needs to be said about this op-ed, which was co-written by Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia and HPD Chief Charles McClelland. Texas ranks 49th in the nation in per capita spending on mental health … Continue reading →

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The pension problem

Posted on December 21, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know enough about the particulars of the city’s pension problems to be able to sort out the competing claims made in this story. I do know that the current system is not sustainable, and that the fight to … Continue reading →

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You really can go broke saving money

Posted on December 4, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The state of Texas has cost itself billions of dollars over the past decade or so by doing things like cutting CHIP and thus losing out on far more federal funds than any savings achieved in the state budget. Harris … Continue reading →

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HPD braces for cuts

Posted on December 3, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

More than $15 million is going to be cut from HPD’s budget, in part to lost red light camera revenue and in part to the overall budget picture. The equivalent of more than 100 civilian jobs, including temporary workers, will … Continue reading →

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CM Johnson gets no-billed on evading arrest charge

Posted on October 11, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Some good news for Council Member Jarvis Johnson. A Harris County grand jury has declined this morning to indict Houston City Councilman Jarvis Johnson on charges stemming from his arrest in June for evading arrest, according to his attorney. Johnson … Continue reading →

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The HPD crime lab backlog

Posted on October 2, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I just have one question about this: Lengthy waits for Houston police to test evidence for DNA is an increasingly common problem in the Harris County judicial system, prosecutors say. The understaffed HPD crime lab currently has a backlog of … Continue reading →

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HPD sends “Pay your red light camera ticket or else” letter

Posted on July 17, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

With predictable results. Houston police have notified 79,000 motorists that they cannot renew their vehicle registrations until they pay red light camera fines and penalties, even though Harris County officials repeatedly have said they will not prevent people from registering … Continue reading →

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Grits on the CCSI

Posted on July 10, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Scott Henson got the same information I did about the HPD “Chronic Consumer Stabilization Initiative” pilot program, and as always his take is worth reading. In that post, he pointed to this Malcolm Gladwell article that puts this initiative into … Continue reading →

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The Chronic Consumer Stabilization Initiative

Posted on July 8, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

In the comments to my previous post about mental illness and the criminal justice system, reader Katherine reminded me of this Houston Press article from last December, about a pilot program between HPD and the Mental Health Mental Retardation Authority … Continue reading →

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DA responds to CM Johnson

Posted on July 7, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Council Member Jarvis Johnson said his piece last week about his recent arrest for not pulling over on a traffic stop. Yesterday, the Harris County District Attorney had their say about it. Houston City Councilman Jarvis Johnson told police he … Continue reading →

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CM Johnson speaks

Posted on July 5, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Council Member Jarvis Johnson has a few words to say about his arrest for evading police on Wednesday. “I want to be very clear about the night in question,” Johnson said at a brief news conference. “I am not going … Continue reading →

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Council Member Johnson arrested

Posted on July 1, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Oops. Houston City Councilman Jarvis Johnson was arrested Wednesday night after he initially refused to stop his vehicle immediately when a police officer tried to pull him over, officials said. Johnson is charged with evading arrest, according to the Harris … Continue reading →

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The chiefs talk about Arizona

Posted on May 29, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

HPD Chief Charles McClelland was one of several police chiefs to go to Washington and talk with Attorney General Eric Holder about why Arizona’s immigration law would be harmful to them, and why the federal government needs to finish the … Continue reading →

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Only some kinds of mistakes were made

Posted on May 28, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I probably shouldn’t be, but I was amused by this Chron story about the current state of the HPD fingerprint lab and the consultants who audited it. [HPD Assistant Chief Timothy] Oettmeier said consultants also had performed more in-depth technical … Continue reading →

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Demolition Day

Posted on May 22, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Get ready to say goodbye to a bunch of abandoned buildings. “Demolition Day,” which Mayor Annise Parker announced in her state of the city speech last month, is the culmination of months of effort by the Houston Police Department’s Neighborhood … Continue reading →

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Still focusing on overtime

Posted on May 1, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Mayor Annise Parker talks again about trying to control HPD and HFD overtime costs as a way of bridging the city’s budget shortfall. Mayor Annise Parker provided an early picture of how she intends to close a $140 million budget … Continue reading →

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HPD suspends eight for “excessive force”

Posted on April 29, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Uh oh. Eight Houston Police Department officers from the Westside command’s gang unit have been relieved of duty in an investigation into a videotaped incident of suspected excessive force used against a suspect, Houston police union officials confirmed tonight. The … Continue reading →

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HPD and HFD overtime

Posted on April 22, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

As is the case with the Harris County Sheriff’s office, the Houston Police Department and Houston Fire Department spend a lot of money on overtime. A Houston Chronicle analysis shows that most of the money — $50 million — went … Continue reading →

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Solving the jail overcrowding problem is everybody’s responsibility

Posted on April 19, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Putting it another way, we need to be choosier about whom we arrest. The Houston Police Department stopped arresting people for minor traffic violations late Thursday, hours after Sheriff Adrian Garcia told the city to slow down the flow of … Continue reading →

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Still looking for a fire chief

Posted on April 4, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

We’ve got a new police chief, but Mayor Parker is still looking for a new fire chief. Parker on Wednesday named Charles A McClelland Jr., a veteran Houston police administrator, the city’s new police chief. She concentrated that search on … Continue reading →

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Parker taps McClelland as HPD Chief

Posted on March 31, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

No surprise. Mayor Annise Parker officially named veteran police administrator Charles A. McClelland Houston’s new police chief today, citing his long service and leadership skills. McClelland, 55, has served as acting chief of the Houston Police Department since the retirement … Continue reading →

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Parker to name new HPD Chief tomorrow

Posted on March 30, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Mayor Parker to Name Her Choice for Police Chief Who: Mayor Annise Parker What: Announcement of Mayor Parker’s nomination for Houston Police Chief When: Wednesday, March 31, immediately following City Council meeting Where: Proclamation Room, 3rd Floor, … Continue reading →

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The forensics backlog

Posted on January 28, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I was going to blog about this Chron story regarding a backlog in fingerprint analyses for the HPD Crime Lab, but Grits said most of what I was going to say, so just go read him. The key, I think, … Continue reading →

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SWAT team

Posted on January 27, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I’m not sure about this. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office is starting an elite “high-risk” squad with the aim of developing it into a full-fledged SWAT team. Maj. Bob Doguim began soliciting applications for the eight-member team two weeks ago, … Continue reading →

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Hail to the (interim) Chief

Posted on January 1, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

As expected, HPD Chief Harold Hurtt has quietly slipped out the door in advance of Mayor-Elect Annise Parker taking the reins of the city. Until she names his replacement, here’s who will fill in. Executive Assistant Chief C.A. McClelland will … Continue reading →

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Parker’s police plan in practice

Posted on December 20, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I think we’re all reasonably familiar with the basics of Mayor-Elect Parker’s plan for the police force, which includes more and better coordination between the various local law enforcement agencies. This story, which perhaps ought to have been run before … Continue reading →

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Search for the Chief

Posted on December 18, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

More speculation about who will replace Harold Hurtt as HPD chief. Gary Blankinship, president of the Houston Police Officers’ Union, and other officers said they’ve heard Timothy N. Oettmeier, 57, Vicki L. King, 48, and Kirk A. Munden, 49, all … Continue reading →

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Chief Hurtt to step down

Posted on December 15, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

We all knew this was coming. Houston Police Chief Harold Hurtt is planning to resign at the end of the year, two days before Mayor-elect Annise Parker takes office. Hurtt, who has been Houston police chief for almost six years, … Continue reading →

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Mayor Parker hits the ground running

Posted on December 14, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Mayor-Elect Annise Parker talks to the Chron and tells us again what she intends to do after she’s sworn in. “One of the reasons I’m not having that big, excited, happy feeling is that there is a lot of work … Continue reading →

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Fingerprint problems

Posted on December 3, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Lovely. An audit of the Houston Police Department’s fingerprinting comparison unit revealed so many problems that investigators will be reviewing all violent crime cases for the past six years, officials said Tuesday. Major problems in the Latent Prints Comparison Unit … Continue reading →

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Red light camera amnesty

Posted on November 23, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Got a red light camera ticket that you haven’t paid? Want to get it taken care of but fear there may be consequences for having waited so long? Well, now’s your chance to do it, as HPD has announced a … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed over dog scent evidence

Posted on November 7, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Three men have filed a federal lawsuit against Fort Bend Deputy Keith Pikett and his use of “evidence” gathered by scent dogs, which they say led to them being falsely accused of and imprisoned for crimes they didn’t commit. The … Continue reading →

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The Mayorals on public safety

Posted on October 13, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Reading this story about the Mayoral candidates and their public safety plans, I have the same questions that I’ve had from the beginning. How do they plan to pay for the things they want to do? Hiring more officers, obviously, … Continue reading →

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Change in course on 287 (g)

Posted on October 9, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron notes a change in course on how the city wants to deal with undocumented immigrants. Mayor Bill White is distancing himself from a controversial federal program that trains local law enforcement to identify suspected illegal immigrants, saying this … Continue reading →

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