Tag Archives: HPD

Where are the Rangers?

Posted on July 12, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

No one will say just yet. When a federal immigration officer shot and killed a 23-year-old on South Padre Island last year, the Department of Homeland Security asked the Texas Rangers to investigate. But as calls grow for an independent … Continue reading →

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Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was not ICE’s target

Posted on July 11, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Unbelievable. The 52-year-old Houston man fatally shot by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent earlier this week was not the target of the agency’s operation, said U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Houston, who has called for release of any video … Continue reading →

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Lorenzo Salgado Araujo roundup

Posted on July 10, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

For 35 years, a Mexican father built homes in Houston. Then a morning drive ended in tragedy. For the last 35 years, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo’s day began the same way: He woke up at 5 a.m., kissed his wife goodbye, … Continue reading →

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ICE kills Houston man

Posted on July 9, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Bad. Very bad. An Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fatally shot a Houston man after he tried to run over a federal officer conducting a vehicle stop Tuesday morning, according to an agency statement issued hours after the incident. Federal … Continue reading →

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Trash fee officially adopted

Posted on June 15, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see how much difference it makes. Houstonians will soon begin paying $5 a month for trash and recycling pickup under Mayor John Whitmire’s $7.5 billion budget, passed 15-1 by city council on Wednesday. The plan marks a significant shift … Continue reading →

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We don’t know how HPD spends its money

Posted on May 19, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

This is just ridiculous. Houston Police Department auditors examining two dozen of the agency’s top earners of overtime pay in 2022 found they could not fully account for how most of the officers spent their time, noting some divisions within … Continue reading →

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Here’s the Mayor’s 2026-27 budget

Posted on May 7, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Now with the starter trash fee. Mayor John Whitmire rolled out a $7.5 billion budget for the city’s upcoming fiscal year Tuesday, saying a new $5 monthly fee would help the city’s long-struggling Solid Waste department but offering few specifics … Continue reading →

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The cost of hosting the FIFA World Cup

Posted on April 30, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

The economics are hard to understand. When Texas dedicated $22 million to host the 2017 Super Bowl between the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons, state officials expected a return on their investment. But a state analysis after the … Continue reading →

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Council amends ICE ordinance

Posted on April 23, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

What a waste of time. Houston City Council amended its recently approved policy limiting police officers’ interactions with federal immigration agents after Gov. Greg Abbott’s office threatened $114 million in city grants, despite some council members saying the changes will dilute … Continue reading →

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Who wants to listen to the lawyers about the HPD/ICE ordinance?

Posted on April 21, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Not Mayor Whitmire, who already has the surrender documents drawn up. Mayor John Whitmire says the city must walk back its new policy limiting Houston police officers’ cooperation with federal immigration agents after Gov. Greg Abbott threatened to pull $114 million in grants … Continue reading →

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Possible reconsideration of HPD/ICE ordinance pushed to next week

Posted on April 17, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Okay. Mayor John Whitmire has delayed Houston City Council’s vote on whether to revoke its new policy limiting the police department’s interactions with immigration agents after Gov. Greg Abbott’s office extended the city’s deadline to make a decision as he threatens to pull $114 million in … Continue reading →

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Whitmire waffles on ICE ordinance

Posted on April 15, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Pathetic. And predictable. Mayor John Whitmire last week joined his City Council colleagues in voting to limit Houston police officers’ interactions with federal immigration agents, but now says the city must “correct” its policy after Gov. Greg Abbott threatened to … Continue reading →

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Council passes ordinance to limit HPD’s interactions with ICE

Posted on April 9, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Houston City Council approved a proposal from three city council members limiting Houston police officers’ cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on Wednesday, with Mayor John Whitmire in support. The proposal by Council Members Alejandra Salinas, Edward … Continue reading →

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We are still drowning in overtime costs

Posted on April 3, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

It’s almost as if there’s no plan to do anything about it. Overtime spending at the city’s police and fire departments is worsening the budget gap Houston City Council must close this summer, with Controller Chris Hollins’ office now projecting … Continue reading →

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Council HPD/ICE ordinance mostly moves forward

Posted on March 28, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Good. A proposal to change the way Houston police officers work with immigration agents looks set to move ahead with two of its three original provisions after the City Attorney’s office rejected one of them, saying it would have violated … Continue reading →

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Ordinance proposed to officially limit HPD’s interactions with ICE

Posted on March 20, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Excellent. A trio of Houston City Council members are pushing a plan to change the way Houston police officers work with federal immigration agents, sidestepping Mayor John Whitmire’s authority a week after the mayor announced a more modest tweak to … Continue reading →

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So where are we now with HPD and ICE?

Posted on March 16, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s start here, which I think frames the issue in the best practical terms. Mayor John Whitmire’s denials finally hit a wall. When he first took office, the mayor said the Houston Police Department wasn’t working with U.S. Immigration and … Continue reading →

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Mayor Whitmire finally says something about HPD and ICE

Posted on March 9, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Took him long enough. A day after a Chronicle report found Houston police officers in at least two instances arrested drivers and personally transported them to immigration agents, Mayor John Whitmire told Univision Houston the arrests violated department policies. Whitmire, who hasn’t responded … Continue reading →

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We’re still spending a lot on overtime

Posted on February 5, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Good thing our Mayor is fixing our finances. Despite steps to improve staffing and management, the City of Houston is still on track to exceed its overtime budgets for Solid Waste and public safety operations by more than $54 million this fiscal … Continue reading →

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Council proposal to limit HPD cooperation with ICE fails

Posted on January 5, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

I’m annoyed by this, but it’s not the end of the line. A City Council proposal that would have given Houston police officers discretion over calling federal immigration officials during traffic stops has officially met its demise. The policy change … Continue reading →

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DPS investigating Flock

Posted on January 3, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

More of an administrative matter than anything else, but potentially with real consequences. State troopers are investigating the company behind thousands of license plate-reading cameras used by police agencies and private groups across the Houston region, over claims the company … Continue reading →

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The gun violence dashboard

Posted on January 2, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Also from the “closing my tabs” department, this is good stuff. If a person shows up at an emergency room with a gunshot wound, but it’s never reported to the police, did it really happen? If you’re looking solely at … Continue reading →

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Scooter curfew update

Posted on December 4, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

That was quick. Houston’s new ordinance prohibiting the nighttime rental and use of electric scooters, electric skateboards and similarly powered devices has already reduced late-night riding downtown, officials told the City Council’s Quality of Life Committee on Monday. The ban … Continue reading →

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Scooter curfew enacted

Posted on November 21, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I guess I’m mostly OK with this. The Houston City Council voted Wednesday to establish a citywide curfew on electric scooter use and rentals between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m., citing what officials called a growing public safety risk downtown. … Continue reading →

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Whitmire finally admits that HPD is cooperating with ICE

Posted on November 11, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Goddamn it. Houston Mayor John Whitmire acknowledged Saturday that the city is cooperating with federal immigration authorities after denying for months that Houston police would get involved with immigration enforcement. Whitmire was a guest speaker at a conference Saturday hosted by former Kemah Mayor Bill King, a fellow at Rice … Continue reading →

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HPD king of overtime reassigned

Posted on November 7, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Fascinating. A Houston police officer who racked up more than $170,000 in overtime writing tickets in 2024 has been transferred out of the traffic division, the Chronicle has learned through an open records request. Around a week after testifying in court about … Continue reading →

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Why is HPD calling ICE so much more often now?

Posted on October 14, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

We deserve some answers. Houston police officers have called federal immigration agents on civilians over 100 times since President Donald Trump took office in January — a jump of more than 1,000% from any of the previous five years, according to public records obtained … Continue reading →

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Who asked for this task force?

Posted on October 6, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Other than Greg Abbott, anyway. State and Harris County law enforcement will join forces on a task force aimed at cracking down on repeat violent offenders, whom police leaders say are fueling much of the region’s crime problem, Gov. Greg … Continue reading →

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Some uses of police overtime are more sensible than others

Posted on September 15, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. As thousands of protesters gathered at Houston City Hall earlier this year during the No Kings protest against President Donald Trump’s multimillion-dollar military parade, Houston police leaders spent more than $102,000 on police overtime … Continue reading →

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Fewer crime reports being made

Posted on August 22, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting. Fewer people called Houston police each year since 2023, a trend that experts say could have multiple causes and is worth keeping an eye on. Slightly more than 1.1 million calls were made to HPD’s patrol divisions in 2023, … Continue reading →

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Leave the “Be Someone” artists alone

Posted on August 20, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

How is this a good use of HPD’s time? Investigators are searching for the people who repainted Houston’s popular “Be Someone” graffiti mural in June after a video of the act was posted on Instagram. Three people participated in repainting the … Continue reading →

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On HPD and overtime

Posted on August 18, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Lots to think about here. Houston senior police officer Matthew Davis’ annual salary was about $90,000 this past fiscal year. He made nearly $170,000 more in overtime. It was not an anomaly. Davis has collected more in overtime than his … Continue reading →

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Three perspectives on scooters

Posted on August 13, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron editorial board calls for regulation over a ban. We’re feeling a bit of whiplash. For a city that has for decades been desperate to get people out of their cars and into central neighborhoods, our leaders seem all … Continue reading →

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Flock responds

Posted on June 30, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Reporting gets results. Or at least a response. The CEO for Flock cameras has pushed back on recent reporting, including a Chronicle investigation, about the surveillance technology used by Houston police, saying it’s up to local law enforcement to decide … Continue reading →

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