Houston Police Department

Houston Police Department
Abbreviation	HPD
Motto	Order through law, justice with mercy
Agency overview
Formed	1841
Annual budget	$600 Million
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdiction	Houston, Texas, USA
Map of Houston Police Department's jurisdiction
Size	601.7 square miles (1,560 km2)
Population	2,099,451 (2010)
General nature	Local civilian police
Operational structure
Headquarters	1200 Travis Downtown Houston
Police officers	5,318 (2012)
Agency executive	Charles McClelland, Chief of police
Facilities
Helicopters	5
Website
official site

The Houston Police Department (HPD) is the primary law enforcement agency serving the City of Houston, Texas, United States and some surrounding areas. Its headquarters are at 1200 Travis in Downtown Houston.

HPD's jurisdiction often overlaps with several other law enforcement agencies, among them the Harris County Sheriff's Office and the Harris County Constable Precincts. HPD is the largest municipal police department in Texas.

According to the HPD's website, "The mission of the Houston Police Department is to enhance the quality of life in the City of Houston by working cooperatively with the public and within the framework of the U.S. Constitution to enforce the laws, preserve the peace, reduce fear and provide for a safe environment."

The current chief of police is Charles McClelland.

History

Main article: History of the Houston Police Department

Beginnings

Houston was founded by brothers Augustus and John Kirby Allen in 1836 and incorporated as a city the next year, 1837. As the city quickly grew, so did the need for a cohesive law enforcement agency. It was in 1841 that the Houston Police Department was founded. The first HPD badge issued bore the number "1."

The early part of the 20th century was a time of enormous growth for both Houston and for the Houston Police Department. Due to growing traffic concerns in downtown Houston, the HPD purchased its first automobile in 1910 and created its first traffic squad during that same year. Eleven years later, in 1921, the HPD installed the city's first traffic light. This traffic light was manually operated until 1927, when automatic traffic lights were installed.

As Houston became a larger metropolis throughout the 1930s and 1940s, the HPD found itself growing and acquiring more technology to keep up with the city's fast pace. The first homicide division was established in 1930. During that same year, the HPD purchased newer weapons to arm their officers: standard issue .44 caliber revolvers and two Thompson submachine guns. In 1939, the department proudly presented its first police academy class. The Houston Police Officers Association (HPOA) was created in 1945. This organization later became the Houston Police Officers Union.

Throughout the turbulent 1960s and 1970s, the HPD also experienced its own highs and lows. The first HPD bomb squad was created in 1966. The next year, 1967, saw massive riots at Texas Southern University. During the riots, one officer was killed and nearly 500 students were arrested. It was as a result of these riots that the still-active Community Relations Division was created within the HPD. In 1970, the Helicopter Patrol Division was created with three leased helicopters. That year also marked the department's first purchase of bulletproof vests for their officers. The HPD's first Special Weapons and Tactical Squad (SWAT) was formed in 1975.

Modern times

In 1982, the Houston Police Department appointed its first African-American chief of police, Lee P. Brown. Brown served as chief from 1982 to 1990 and later became the City of Houston's first African-American mayor in 1998. While Brown was considered a successful chief, he also earned the unflattering moniker "Out of Town Brown" for his many lengthy trips away from Houston during his tenure.

Brown's appointment was controversial from the start. Traditional HPD officers frowned upon Brown because he was an outsider from Atlanta, Georgia where he was the police commissioner; to become the police chief in Houston, an officer has to advance through the rank and file although the "good old boy" culture was prevalent.

The HPD paved a new road again in 1990 when Mayor Kathy Whitmire appointed Elizabeth Watson as the first female chief of police. Elizabeth Watson served from 1990 to 1992 and was followed by Sam Nuchia, who served as police chief from 1992 to 1997. In 1997, Clarence O. Bradford was appointed as chief. In 2002, Bradford was indicted and later acquitted of perjury charges, stemming from an incident in which he allegedly lied under oath about cursing fellow officers. Since late 2007, Bradford was the Democratic nominee for Harris County District Attorney where he will be facing a Republican opponent (either Kelly Siegler or Patricia Lykos; the incumbent, Charles A. 'Chuck' Rosenthal, resigned prior to withdrawing his candidacy due to an e-mail scandal). Bradford faced Patricia Lykos and lost the election; he later campaigned in 2009 for a Houston City Council at-large council seat vacated by Ronald C. Green, who ran for controller.

Since 1992, the Houston City Marshal's division, Houston Airport Police, and Houston Park Police were absorbed into HPD. In early 2004, during Mayor Bill White's first term in office, HPD absorbed the Neighborhood Protection division from the City of Houston Planning Department, which was renamed the Neighborhood Protection Corps in 2005.

Crime laboratory

In November 2002, the CBS local TV station KHOU began broadcasting a multi-part investigation into the accuracy of the HPD Crime Lab's findings. Particularly of interest to the reporters were criminal cases that involved DNA analysis and serological (body fluid) testing. Night after night journalists David Raziq, Anna Werner and Chris Henao presented case after case in which the lab's work was dangerously sloppy or just plain wrong and may have been sending the innocent to prison while letting the guilty go free. As a result of those broadcasts, at the end of the week the Houston Police Department declared they would have a team of independent scientists audit the lab and its procedures. However, the audit's findings were so troublesome that one month later,in mid- December, HPD closed the DNA section of the laboratory. Not only did the audit bolster KHOU's report but also found that samples were contaminated and the lab's files were very poorly maintained. The audit revealed that a section of the lab's roof was leaking into sample-containment areas, lab technicians were seriously undereducated or unqualified for their jobs, samples had been incorrectly tagged, and samples had been contaminated through improper handling. Worse, many people had been convicted and sent to prison based upon the evidence contained in the crime lab. The New York Times asked the question, "Worst Crime Lab in the Country?" in a March 2003 article.

Beginning in early 2003, the HPD Crime Lab began cooperating with outside DNA testing facilities to review criminal cases involving cases or convictions associated with Crime Lab evidence. However this again came as a result of some prompting investigatory work done by the TV station KHOU. Not long after their first broadcasts, reporters David Raziq, Anna Werner and Chris Henao got an e-mail from a local mother. She was desperate. She told them that her son, Josiah Sutton, had been tried for rape in 1999 and found guilty based upon HPD Crime Lab testing. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison. So KHOU began to take an intensive look at the Sutton case. Raziq and Werner analyzed the HPD lab's DNA report with the help of DNA expert Bill Thompson of the University of California-Irvine. They found terrible and obvious mistakes in the report that the lab should have known about. When the reporters presented this new information to the local jurists who had helped convict Sutton, they were mortified. Not long after that broadcast, the HPD agreed to an immediate retest of the DNA evidence in the Sutton case. Those tests showed the DNA collected in the case did not belong to Sutton. He was released from prison in March 2003 and given a full pardon in 2004.

As a result of the scandal, nine Crime Lab technicians were disciplined with suspensions and one analyst was terminated. However, that analyst was fully reinstated to her previous position in January 2004, less than one month after her December 2003 termination. Many HPD supervisors and Houston residents called for more stringent disciplinary actions against the Crime Lab employees. However, the city panel responsible for disciplining the lab technicians repeatedly resisted these arguments and instead reduced the employees' punishments . Irma Rios was hired in 2003 as Lab Director, replacing Interim Lab Director Frank Fitzpatrick.

In May 2005, the Houston Police Department announced that with much effort and coordination on their part, they had received national accreditation through the American Society of Crime Lab Directors (ASCLD). The ASCLD stated that the lab had met or exceeded standards for accreditation in all areas except DNA. Through independent research and testing, it was determined in January 2006 that of 1,100 samples reviewed, 40% of DNA samples and 23% of blood evidence samples had serious problems. On June 11, 2007, the HPD crime lab reported its DNA section had gained full accreditation from ASCLD.

In the October 6, 2007 The Houston Chronicle published allegations of Employees cheating on an open-book proficiency test.

Safe Clear

The Safe Clear program was implemented by Mayor Bill White on January 1, 2005 as a joint venture between the City of Houston and the Houston Police Department. The intention of the program was to decrease the freeway accidents and traffic jams that occurred due to stalled drivers. Select tow truck companies across the city were authorized to tow a stalled vehicle as soon as possible after being notified by an HPD officer. Persons having their vehicle towed were provided with a Motorist's Bill of Rights and were required to pay a sum to the City of Houston after the towing had taken place.

The program was initially very unpopular among Houston residents. Frequent complaints were that the program unfairly punished lower-income motorists by enforcing a high towing fee and that the program could potentially damage vehicles that required special tow trucks and equipment to be safely towed away. Other complaints were that stranded motorists did not have an option to choose their own garage. The city and the HPD addressed these concerns with program improvements that provided funds to pay for short tows that removed stalled vehicles from the freeway and then allowed drivers to choose their own garage and tow companies once they were safely off the freeway.

Studies released in February 2006 indicate that Safe Clear has been successful during its fledgling year. There were 1,533 fewer freeway accidents in 2005, a decrease of 10.4% since Safe Clear's implementation.

Red light cameras

In December 2004, Chief Hurtt (when he was the former chief of Oxnard, CA) stated that when the city of Oxnard installed their red light cameras, it has claimed that red light running decreased dramatically although Houston was in the process of favoring red light camera enforcement. The history of red light camera enforcement goes back to the 78th Texas Legislature where this measure was voted down although a transportation bill authored by a member of the Texas House of Representatives had an inclusion of red light camera enforcement. In December 2004, the Houston City Council unanimously voted for red light camera enforcement although Texas State Representative Gary Elkins (R-TX) introduced legislation to deter Houston from amending its city charter for the red light camera rule to be enforced. This measure failed in the Texas Senate although in 2005, four intersections in downtown Houston were used as testbeds for red light camera equipment. After a contract was approved, the enforcement went online September 1, 2006 to which those running a red light (there are 50 locations) are fined a $75 civil fine as opposed to a $225 moving violation which goes against the vehicle operator.

There are fifty intersections with red light cameras in the city with cameras (twenty intersections were added where dual cameras were installed). A majority of them are located at a thoroughfare at a freeway intersection - primarily in the Galleria and southwest Houston. During a Houston City Council meeting on 6.11.08, council member James Rodriguez suggested the installation of an additional 200 cameras.

A voter referendum during the 2010 Texas gubernatorial elections to eliminate red-light cameras passed. The referendum that passed in November 2010 was later invalidated by U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes June 17, 2011 citing that the referendum violated the city charter despite the contract with American Traffic Solutions, which provided the camera equipment. The cameras were expected to be reactivated after midnight on July 24, 2011; plans were underway to have this judicial ruling heard by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

Mobility Response Team

On July 2, 2007, Mayor Bill White started a new program called the "Mobility Response Team". Staffed by traffic enforcement officers patrol within the loop clearing traffic problems. They report traffic light outages, issue parking citations, help clear and direct traffic around minor accidents, or traffic jams during special events in the area. The duties will only involve surface streets and not the freeways and will be using scooters and police cruisers fitted with yellow flashing lights rather than the typical red and blue lights.

This was part of the mayor's plan to improve mobility in city and is the first of its kind in the United States. The city's mobility response team cost $1.8 million a year to operate.

Overtime and "Hot Spot" patrol concentration

Hurtt to spend an $24 million on overtime pay through 2010. The money would continue to bolster an understaffed force as police commanders try to increase their ranks. The overtime that is planned would be about equal to 500,000 police hours of which would help bolster various departments including, vice, Westside patrol and traffic enforcement, among other areas including a new 60-member crime reduction unit that will serve as a citywide tactical squad.

The police chief said the effort will put more officers to work immediately in troubled areas of the city such as Third Ward and Acres Homes, where the bodies of seven women have been found in the past two years.

The crime rate, particularly for violent offenses, since the latter part of 2005, when an influx of hurricane evacuees increased the city's population by more than 100,000, and incidents spiked in certain neighborhoods.

Organization

1200 Travis, HPD headquarters in Downtown Houston

Houston Police Department Central Division

An HPD patrol car parked outside the Aldine Storefront in Greenspoint

Houston Police Department Southwest Division

Houston Police Department Westside Division and Municipal Courts

Fondren Division (former station)

The Houston Police Department is headed by a chief of police appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the city council. This position is aided by 4 executive assistant chiefs, 10 assistant chiefs, 42 captains, approximately 220 lieutenants and 900 sergeants. HPD headquarters, 1200 Travis, is in Downtown Houston. The current chief of police is C.A. McClelland, a former executive assistant chief from the department.

HPD divides the city into 13 patrol divisions. Each division is divided into one or more districts and each district is divided further into one or more beats. Stations are operated and staffed 24 hours a day. HPD also operates 29 store front locations throughout the city. These store fronts are not staffed 24 hours a day, and generally open at either 7:00 or 8:00 AM, and close at 5:00 PM. Downtown Houston is patrolled by the Special Operations Division District 1, and the Houston Airport System facilities have their own divisions.

A map of all stations and store front locations can be found at the HPD web site: PDF map of stations, divisions, districts and beats.

Organizational chart

Office of the Chief of Police

• Office of the Chief of Staff
• Public Affairs Office
• Legal Services Office
• Office of Budget & Finance
• Strategic Operations
  • Homeland Security Command
    • Air Support Division
    • Airport Division (District 21 - George Bush Intercontinental Airport and District 23 - William P. Hobby Airport and Ellington Field)
    • Criminal Intelligence Division
    • Special Operations Division (based in the northeast section of the George R. Brown Convention Center)
      • Mounted Patrol Detail
      • Special Response Group
      • Bicycle Administration and Training Unit
    • Tactical Operations Division
      • SWAT
      • Dive Team
      • Patrol Canine "Doggie" Detail
      • Marine Unit
      • Bomb Squad
      • Hostage Negotiation Team
  • Professional Standards Command
    • Inspections Division
    • Internal Affairs/Central Intake Office
    • Psychological Services
    • Training Division
      • Administration
      • Certification
      • Cadet Training
      • Field Training Administration Office
      • In-Service Training
      • Firearms Training/Qualification Range
      • Defensive Tactics
      • Drivers Training
• Investigative Operations
  • Special Investigations Command
    • Auto Theft Division
    • Gang Division
      • Crime Reduction Unit
    • Major Offenders Division
    • Narcotics Division
    • Vehicular Crimes Division
      • Hit and Run Investigations Unit
      • Auto Dealers Unit
    • Vice Division
  • Criminal Investigations Command
    • Burglary & Theft Division
    • Homicide Division
      • Murder Squads
      • Major Assaults
    • Investigative First Responder
    • Juvenile Division
      • Intake
      • General Investigations
      • Sex Offender Registration
      • Missing Persons
    • Robbery Division
    • Special Victims Division
      • Family Violence Unit
      • Juvenile Physical Abuse Unit
      • Juvenile Sex Crimes Unit
      • Adult Sex Crimes Unit
• Field Operations
  • North Central Patrol Command
    • Central Division (Districts 1 and 2)
    • Night Commander
    • North Division (Districts 3 and 6)
    • Northwest Division (Districts 4 and 5)
  • North Patrol Command
    • Kingwood Division (District 24)
    • Northeast Division (Districts 7, 8 and 9)
    • Traffic Enforcement Division
      • Traffic Enforcement Unit
      • DWI Task Force
      • Truck Enforcement Unit
      • Solo Motorcycle Detail
      • Mobility Response Team
      • Highway Interdiction Unit
  • East Patrol Command

Clear Lake Station

• • • Clear Lake Division (District 12)
    • Eastside Division (District 11)
    • South Central Division (District 10)
    • Southeast Division (Districts 13 and 14)
  • West Patrol Command
    • Midwest Division (District 18)
    • South Gessner Division (District 17)
    • Southwest Division (Districts 15 and 16)
    • Westside Division (Districts 19 and 20)
• Support Operations
  • Technology Services
  • Staff Services Command
    • Crime Analysis and Command Center Division
    • Emergency Communications Division
    • Employee Services Division
      • Honor Guard
      • Family Assistance
      • Police Chaplain
    • Jail Division
      • Central Jail
      • Southeast Jail
      • Special Projects Unit
    • Planning
    • Records Division
  • Forensic Services Command
    • Crime Lab Division
    • Identification Division
      • Crime Scene Unit
      • Polygraph Unit
    • Property Division

Facilities

The Houston Police Department administrative offices and investigative offices are at 1200 Travis in Downtown Houston. The 61 Riesner site houses the HPD central patrol office, the municipal jail, and the transportation department. The 33 Artesia facility houses the communication and maintenance facilities. In December 2013 the city announced that it has plans to build a new headquarters for HPD and the city courts.

Substations and storefronts

By the end of 1989 the police department had established 19 storefronts and planned to open 10 additional storefronts in 1990.

Patrol vehicles

The department uses a large number of Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptors as their main fleet of patrol vehicles. They have Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor models from dating from 1999 to 2012. Since Ford no longer produces the "crown vic", The department has chosen to phase in the Chevy Tahoe PPV as the successor to the Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor . The department is continuing to test new Chevy Caprice PPV models and Ford Taurus Interceptors (including the fifth-generation Explorer) as well. It also uses pickup trucks from the Big Three, such as the Chevrolet Silverado, Ford F150, and Dodge Ram for their Truck Enforcement Unit. There is also a small fleet of Dodge Chargers and Chevrolet Camaros, which are mainly used as "stealth traffic patrol vehicles". The stealth vehicles are plain white police cars with a slicktop roof and gray, reflective "HOUSTON POLICE" graphics on the side as well as on the front bumper, and hidden emergency lights that are driven by uniformed officers. The Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor is also used in this manner - as of late 2011 the stealth patrol vehicles are now painted black. Solo (motorcycle) officers use Harley-Davidson motorcycles. The patrol vehicle livery, painted white with blue lettered graphics dating back to 1999, is being phased out for a black and white color scheme where 100 vehicles are painted from $60,000 earmarked from asset forfeiture funds.

Air support

The Houston Police Helicopter Division celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2010. The unit was first formed in 1970 with three leased Schweizer 269B helicopters. Since that time Houston has flown almost exclusively Schweizer or McDonnell Douglas helicopters.

In 2008 the department acquired new MD500E helicopters. The department also has Schweizer 300 helicopters for training.

The helicopter division patrols about a 700-square-mile (1,800 km²) area. Houston Police have two helicopters in the air for up to 21 hours a day. All pilots and Tactical Flight Officers are sworn Houston police officers.

Weapons

Most Houston police officers now carry Sig Sauer P229, Sig Sauer P226, Sig Sauer P220, Glock 22, Glock 23 or the Smith & Wesson M&P40 .40 (S&W) caliber semi-automatic handguns. They are also armed with X26 Tasers. Tenured officers whose handguns are "grandfathered in" are still allowed to carry their weapons after the mandated .40 (S&W) requirement. Chief Charles McClelland, carries a Colt 1911 Mk. IV Government Model as his sidearm. Officers are also allowed to carry a AR-15 rifle, Ruger Mini-14 rifle, Remington 870 shotgun, Benelli M1 Super 90 shotgun and a M2 Super 90 shotgun. The SWAT unit uses several kinds of automatic weapons, and was the first local law enforcement agency in the United States to adopt the FN P90.

As of November 2013, HPD has allowed officers to carry pistols chambered in .45ACP. The Glock 21, Sig Sauer 227, and Smith & Wesson M&P 45 are approved sidearms for uniformed officers. Plainclothes officers may carry the Glock 30 and Smith & Wesson M&P 45c. Also in 2013, HPD has begun to issue the Taser X2 in place of the Taser X26.

The Academy, field training, and mentor program

Houston Police Academy L.D. Morrison, Sr. Memorial Center

The Houston Police Department operates a non-residential, Monday through Friday police academy from which all cadets must graduate in order to become Houston police officers.

Cadet classes last approximately six months and consist of the basic peace officer course as required by the Texas Commission of Law Enforcement (TCOLE) and HPD specific instruction. In the past, HPD has held lateral classes for officers from other agencies to become HPD officers. However, HPD no longer conducts such classes.

Cadets are required to pass HPD instruction in academics, firearms, driving, physical training, and defensive tactics.

Probationary police officers (PPOs) select which available training station they will go to based on their Academy class rankings.

The following patrol stations are considered training stations:

• Clear Lake
• Central
• Eastside
• Midwest
• North
• Northeast
• South Central
• Southeast
• Southwest/South Gessner
• Westside
• Northwest

The following patrol stations are not considered training stations:

• Airport
• Kingwood

The Field Training Program consists of six phases which occur in the following sequence:

• Phase 1 – Three weeks of training on day shift.
• Phase 2 – Three weeks of training on evening or night shift.
• Phase 3 – Three weeks of training on evening or night shift.
• Phase 4 – Two weeks of evaluation with one week of evaluation on evening shift and one week on night shift.
• Phase 5 – Remedial training.
• Phase 6 – Re-evaluation.

PPOs that successfully complete Phase 4 are not required to continue onto Phase 5 and 6. PPOs that are required to continue onto Phase 5 are given remedial training in the category or categories that they are deemed deficient in. If a PPO fails Phase 6, they are disqualified from becoming a police officer, and must reapply to the department. Phase 6 is required to ensure that they have corrected the deficiency.

After completing the Field Training Program, PPOs are partnered with mentor officers for approximately 4 months. The Mentor Program is not a graded or pass/fail program. Instead, it is designed to give PPOs additional guidance before they are allowed to patrol on their own after their probationary period.

The probationary period for PPOs last for one year from the date that they were hired on as cadets. At their one year anniversary, officers become civil service protected.

Officers select their permanent assignments based on Academy class rank. Officers must serve in their permanent assignment for at least one year before they can transfer to another division.

Newly promoted sergeants must undergo a separate field training program. They are trained for 3 weeks on one shift and then another 3 weeks on another shift. They are then evaluated for 1 week on one shift and then for another week on another shift. This training is designed to ensure that they can perform effectively as new supervisors.

New sergeants pick available training and permanent assignments based on their ranking on their promotion list.

Multilingual services

Demand for use of Vietnamese-speaking officers increased in the 1980s as the city's Vietnamese population increased. By 1997, according to Sergeant Bill Weaver, in addition to English and Spanish, HPD had officers who had fluency in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Vietnamese. HPD has a dispatch system tracking officers speaking languages other than English and Spanish.

Ranks

These are the ranks of the Houston Police Department:

Rank	Insignia
Chief
Executive Assistant Chief
Assistant Chief
Captain
Lieutenant
Sergeant
Senior Police Officer
Police Officer	N/A

Those with the rank of sergeant or above (supervisors) are issued gold badges whereas officers are issued silver badges.

After 12 years of HPD service and obtaining a TCOLE Master Peace Officer certification, an officer becomes a senior officer, which is a non-supervisory rank.

Promotion to sergeant through captain all occur via a civil service formula that factors into account performance on the written examination for the respective rank (max. of 60 pts.), assessment score (max. of 40 pts.), years of service (max. of 10 pts.), and level of higher education (max. of 3 pts.) or 4 years of military service (max. of 1 pt.). Officers are eligible to take the sergeant's promotion exam after 5 years of service. Sergeants and lieutenants are eligible to take the promotion exam of the next higher rank after 2 years of service in their current rank. Candidates for lieutenant must hold at least 65 college hours or an associate's degree. Candidates for captain must hold at least a bachelor's degree.

Assistant chiefs of police and executive assistant chiefs of police are appointed by the chief of police with the approval of the mayor. Such individuals must hold at least a master's degree and have 5 years of HPD service.

Fallen officers

Since the establishment of the Houston Police Department, 111 officers have died in the line of duty. The following list also contains officers from the Houston Airport Police Department and the Houston City Marshal's Office, which were merged into HPD.

Houston Police Officer's Memorial

The causes of death are as follows:

Cause of death	Number of deaths
Assault	1
Automobile accident	10
Fire	1
Gunfire	69
Gunfire (Accidental)	2
Heart attack	2
Motorcycle accident	8
Stabbed	2
Struck by vehicle	6
Vehicle pursuit	1
Vehicular assault	9

The Houston Police Officer's Memorial, designed by Texas artist Jesús Moroles, opened in 1990 to honor the duty and sacrifices of the department.

Demographics

Breakdown of the makeup of the rank and file of HPD:

• Male: 88%
• Female: 12%

• White: 60%
• African-American/Black: 19%
• Hispanic: 18%
• Asian: 3%

Misconduct

Tracie Bell

In September 2010, Officer Tracie Bell was sentenced to sixteen years in prison for stealing over $100,000 from American Red Cross funds earmarked for survivors of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Bell and another officer contracted with the charity to run a basketball camp for young people displaced by the storms. They inflated the number of persons they claimed attended in order to gain additional funds.

Ruben Trejo

In April 2011, Sergeant Ruben Trejo crashed his private vehicle into a school bus while driving to work. Tests showed he had twice the legal limit of alcohol in his blood. Sergeant Trejo was fired.

Darrin DeWayne Thomas

In August 2013, Officer Darrin DeWayne Thomas plead guilty to the theft of $700. Thomas was caught in an October 2010 sting operation where he thought he had been left with the money unobserved. He was sentenced to two years of probation and agreed to surrender his Texas peace officer's license. After he finishes his period of probation, he will have no criminal record.

Joe Campos Torres

Main article: Joe Campos Torres

Joe Campos Torres (1954 - May 5, 1977) was a 23-year-old Vietnam veteran who was arrested for disorderly conduct at a bar in Houston's predominantly Hispanic East End neighborhood. Six Houston police officers took Torres to a spot called “The Hole” next to Buffalo Bayou and beat him. The officers then took Torres to the city jail, where they were ordered to take him to the hospital. Instead of taking Torres to the hospital like they were told, the officers brought him back to the banks of Buffalo Bayou, where he was pushed into the water. Torres’ body was found two days later.

Chad Holley Beating

Main article: Chad Holley

Chad Holley was an Elsik High School sophomore at the time of his arrest as an alleged burglary suspect, which was preceded by, what some say, was an abuse by HPD. He was eventually found guilty and sentenced to probation until he turned 18. The incident also resulted in 12 officers disciplined, fired, or charged. All appealed the decisions. Officer Andrew Blomberg, the first of four officers to go on trial, has been acquitted of charges of "Official Oppression"

Rape kits

In August 2011, press reports indicated that the department held more than 7,000 rape kits that had never been tested. Some of these kits dated back twenty years.

Abraham Joseph

In October 2012, Office Abraham Yousef was sentenced to life in prison for raping a handcuffed woman in the back of his police car. During the sentencing phase of the trial, two other women came forward to claim the policeman also raped them.

Shooting of a double amputee

In June 2013, a grand jury refused to indict Officer Matthew Marin after he shot and killed Brian C. Claunch on 22 September 2012. Claunch, who was mentally ill and confined to a wheelchair threatened a police officer with a ballpoint pen. Marin then killed him.

Adan Jimenez Carranza

In October 2013, Officer Adan Jimenez Carranza plead guilty to "attempted sexual assault" for raping a woman in the back of his patrol car after investigating a minor traffic accident. He was sentenced to ten years in prison and twenty years on the state's sex offender registry. Carranza could be eligible for parole in six months.

Education

Breakdown of the types of academic degrees held by HPD members:

• Associate's Degree: 311
• Bachelor's Degree: 1750
• Master's Degree: 575
• Doctorate Degree: 46

• Total number of members with a degree: 2,682

HPD Major Awards

• Chief of Police Commendation: may be presented to any department employee who demonstrated a high degree of professional excellence or initiative through the success of initiating, developing, or implementing difficult projects, programs, or investigations. The performance shall not have involved personal hazard to the individual.
• Medal of Valor: may be presented to officers who judiciously performed voluntary acts of conspicuous gallantry and extraordinary heroism above and beyond the call of duty, knowing that taking such action presented a clear threat to their lives.
• Lifesaving Award: may be presented to any classified or civilian employee when a person would more than likely have died or suffered permanent brain damage if not for the employee's actions. The act must clearly indicate the employee did at least one of the following: (a) rendered exceptional first aid or (b) made a successful rescue (e.g. from a burning building or vehicle, or from drowning).
• Blue Heart Award: may be presented to officers who received life-threatening injuries while acting judiciously and in the line of duty. Officers may be eligible to receive the Blue Heart Award in conjunction with another award such as the Meritorious Service Award or the Lifesaving Award. Injuries due to negligence or minor injuries not requiring hospitalization are not eligible.
• Meritorious Service Award: may be presented to officers who have distinguished themselves by one of the following: (a) conduct during a criminal investigation or law enforcement action while demonstrating a high level of courage or (b) actions resulting in the apprehension of a felon under dangerous or unusual circumstances.
• Award of Excellence: may be presented to classified or civilian employees who have distinguished themselves on or off duty by outstanding service to HPD or the community. Employees must have demonstrated a high degree of dedication and professionalism in an endeavor that does not meet any other award criteria.
• Hostile Engagement Award: may be presented to officers who acted judiciously in the line of duty and performed acts upholding the high standards of the law enforcement profession while engaging in hostile confrontations with suspects wielding deadly weapons. Individuals who sustained non-life-threatening or minor injuries resulting from an assault by a deadly weapon are also eligible.
• Humanitarian Service Award: may be presented to any individual (employee or not) who demonstrated a voluntary act of donating time, physical effort, financial support, or special talent promoting the safety, health, education, or welfare of citizens. The individual is not eligible if there was any personal gain, financial compensation, special services, or privileges in exchange for the act.
• Public Service Award: may be presented to any individual outside the department who voluntarily acted in circumstances requiring unusual courage or heroism while assisting a police officer or other citizen. Those who do not meet the above criteria, but provided a measure of assistance, shall be sent a letter and a Certificate of Appreciation (no citation page) signed by the Chief of Police.
• Chief of Police Unit Citation: may be presented to two or more employees who performed an act or a series of acts over a period of time that demonstrated exceptional bravery or outstanding service to the department or the community. Their combined efforts as a functioning team must have resulted in the attainment of a departmental goal(s) and increased the department's effectiveness and efficiency.

Radio Unit Identifiers

Numeric-only Identifiers

• 5xx Mayor's Protection Detail
• 12xx Criminal Intelligence Division
• 16xx SWAT
• 19xx Robbery
• 20xx Dignitary Protection Details
• 26xx Narcotics
• 30xx Vice
• 35xx Special Victims
• 36xx City Wreckers/Transportation
• 47xx Juvenile

Alphanumeric Identifiers

• x-Y-xx Special Operations Patrol (Downtown, Parks, Special Events)
• x-Y-xx-T Special Operations Patrol (Downtown and Parks) Power Shift
• 10-Y-xx Special Operations Patrol - Memorial Park
• 20-Y-xx Special Operations Patrol - Hermann Park
• 24-P-xx Lake Houston Patrol
• 3x-x-xx Special Event Details
• 4x-x-xx Special Event Details
• 30-T-xx Traffic Enforcement Special Details
• 40-T-xx Traffic Enforcement Special Details
• 60-T-xx Traffic STEP Enforcement
• 66-M-xx Crisis Intervention Response Team
• 70-Z-xx Vehiclar Crimes Division
• 71-Z-xx Truck Enforcement Unit
• 73-I-xx Canine - IAH Airport
• 73-K-xx Canine - Patrol
• 75-Z-xx Mobility Response Team ("Scooters")
• 79-T-xx Truck STEP Enforcement
• 86-M-xx City Marshals - Municipal Court
• 90-x-xx Patrol Division Tactical Units
• 91-x-xx Investigative First Responders
• 92-x-xx Patrol Division Tactical Units
• 96-Z-xx DWI Task Force
• 97-Z-xx Radar Task Force
• 99-Z-xx Motorcycles

See also

• List of law enforcement agencies in Texas

External links

• Houston Police Department Test
• HPD Official Website
• HPOU Official Website
• HPD Museum Website
• Houston Crime Maps
• Houston Crime Maps and Statistics
• Official Safe Clear homepage
• Houston PD Uses Information Builders Business Intelligence Software to Predict and Prevent Crime