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The face of policing in the 21st
century
By
Harold L. Hunt
Chief of Police, Houston, Texas
Houston today is an exciting, international city with a growing, vibrant population. From a public safety perspective, this is a great time to live here. For the nation�s 4th largest city, crime continues to remain relatively low, technology continues to increase the efficacy of law enforcement and the cooperative working relationship between police and the people we serve is the strongest it has ever been.
It is clear that a solid community partnership is the most effective way of securing our communities, making them safer for all of us. Technology has already made a significant impact on policing and will continue to play an instrumental role. Ultimately, it will be a combination of adequate police staffing, advanced technology and community initiatives that make an organization successful.
Technological times
We are in an exciting time where we have the ability of technology to help us do our jobs. The Houston Police Department has already experienced a marked difference with the introduction of Conducted Energy Devices (C.E.D.�s). With the instance of police involved shootings on the rise, we provided our officers with an alternative. That alternative came in the form of this less than lethal weapon that offers our officers another tool in their fight against crime. The results have been substantive. Since their introduction into the Houston Police Department, these devices have been used in 39 instances where our officers would have been justified in using lethal force. Instead, officers had an alternative.
Red light cameras have also been introduced to reduce injuries and damage related to red-light running. Red light running is the leading cause of urban crashes according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The City�s Red Light Camera Enforcement Safety Program uses state-of-the-art digital camera and detection systems installed at some of Houston�s most dangerous intersections for the purpose of decreasing the number of red light runners and reducing collisions. The second phase of Red Light Safety Cameras are up and running bringing us closer to achieving our objective of increasing public safety and reducing preventable crashes caused by motorists running red lights. Results have been significant. Since the cameras became operational on September 1, more than 4,800 violations have been recorded. The City intends to install a total of 50 cameras by early next year.
Additional tools already in use include advances in crime analysis. We are already at a point where crime analysis gives us the ability to establish connectivity between crimes, establish �hot spots� and address them with targeted efforts. Eventually, the ability to use �real time� data will give us an even greater time advantage, alerting us as soon as patterns are established. In addition to crime analysis, many police organizations are already involved in trial programs that include other machine vision-based traffic enforcement where systems are helping officers do their jobs.
Ample staffing
Adequate personnel of course, is a key component in any public safety picture. With much of the nation experiencing a shortage of qualified applicants, recruiting efforts are a challenge for all departments. The department received funding for seven cadet classes this fiscal year. We have implemented an on-going aggressive recruiting campaign and are offering more frequent civil servants tests and on-line application for the test. In an effort to expedite the process of more officers on the streets, we have created a new job classification �senior cadet� which gives up to five years credit on the pay scale for lateral candidates and a $7K bonus as an incentive to join our department. These measures will get our staffing closer to where it needs to be to serve the citizens of Houston.
Community involvement
Of course, even with adequate staffing and leading technology the means by which crime will be reduced is with community involvement. Some of the most dramatic improvements in public safety are being made as law enforcement agencies reach out to and work with communities to form partnerships. Together they achieve clear goals, use good information and implement effective strategies and tactics. This happened when we formed Houston Men Against Family Violence, a program to help make the community aware of the prevalence of domestic violence and abuse, how it is perpetuated, and its damaging effects on individuals, families, and society. With this program we joined hands with key stakeholders in the community to publicize the message that domestic violence and abuse are socially undesirable and unacceptable using the slogan �Abusers are Losers.� When community leaders and law enforcement officials across the country come together, they find new ways to make communities safer and more secure.
Another example of this is the recent passage of a new apartment security ordinance in Houston requiring the apartment industry to work with the Houston Police Department to implement remediation strategies in apartment communities that have excessive levels of criminal activity.
HPD will establish a database of apartment complexes with 10 or more units, and track crime statistics and calls for service for those properties to determine levels of criminal activity. In communities showing excessive crime levels, the department will implement strategies proven to deter crime in apartment communities. Some properties will be identified for Forfeiture Abatement Seizure Team nuisance abatement.
Remediation strategies to be implemented in identified communities will include management and business practices, education of apartment managers and residents and security strategies using Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design. And, just as active community members complement crime-fighting efforts, active resident involvement programs will be encouraged as deterrents in apartment communities.
I see the successful organization of the 21st century combining community partnerships, information technology, data analysis and data driven decision making to effectively combat crime. Does it sound complicated? It isn�t, really. It�s about partnering with the community, and using good information to make smart decisions about crime fighting strategies. When police management use the data at their disposal as the basis for law enforcement decisions, when they bring together a cross-section of community stakeholders to look at crime and discuss the problems, it inevitably leads to more effective solutions for police-community relationships.
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