tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post9148925637813580818..comments2024-03-25T20:06:39.794-05:00Comments on Grits for Breakfast: Disconnects in debate over Houston crime and policing policyGritsforbreakfasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10152152869466958902noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-21221887627102710912009-08-22T22:11:44.873-05:002009-08-22T22:11:44.873-05:00The way I look at it.Those folks don't need an...The way I look at it.Those folks don't need another dime or cop. They have screwed up everything there is to screw up with thier police lab.People can't get those years back they spent in prison.Guilt by association for the whole department.It is time for no tolerence on corrupt police department's.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-50562578704085344112009-08-05T14:52:22.076-05:002009-08-05T14:52:22.076-05:00Anonymous, Bob Lanier ought to be whacked as well;...Anonymous, Bob Lanier ought to be whacked as well; he came up with the nonsense of the 'metro general mobility' transfers which had metro borrowing money to pass on to CoH so CoH could play fast and loose with its traditional prop tax fueled revenue streams and general fund expenditures.<br /><br />Several years ago there was a tally made of all the 'law enforcing' entities in Harris County, it was astonishing but damned if I can remember which news outlet did the story. <br /><br />And of course, stats such as 'cops per capita' or per sq mi are ridiculous. Cops do not prevent crime, they take reports and chalk the pavement where you were felled.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-73384497932168022502009-08-04T15:27:24.216-05:002009-08-04T15:27:24.216-05:00We're paying more for each cop now because of ...We're paying more for each cop now because of Mayor Brown and Chief Bradley. They underpaid into teh pension plan for years, and passed the cost on to Mayor White. When he took office and discovered the financial problem the retirement fund was in, he fixed it., But that meant higher costs.<br /><br />Mayor Brown should be shot.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-77269352493849396322009-08-04T14:21:56.865-05:002009-08-04T14:21:56.865-05:00Grits, I agree with you. Crime rates are not link...Grits, I agree with you. Crime rates are not linked with the number of Police. The actual crime prevention activities of Police represent a very small portion of their work.<br /><br />For one thing, they spend a lot of time doing paperwork to support all the statistics. I also do not believe statisctis that are currently reported accurately represent the true crime rates. Lots of "crimes" happen and the Police are never called.<br /><br />In any event, the data are all we have and we should be extremely careful when attempting to understand what it means.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-2164612271565266092009-08-04T12:45:12.042-05:002009-08-04T12:45:12.042-05:00Bradley, there are some data problems with compari...Bradley, there are some data problems with comparing UCR data across cities because they don't all report the same things and some (like Dallas) underreport.<br /><br />Also, the Obama administration was comparing Houston to other cities and according to Mayor White thought y'all were in relatively good shape.<br /><br />The other disconnect, of course, whether ANY changes in crime rate have anything to do with staffing at all or whether they're driven by other factors. There seemed to be an underlying assumption in your story that staffing and crime rates are somehow linked, but personally I don't believe that's necessarily true.<br /><br />Thanks for the response!Gritsforbreakfasthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10152152869466958902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-78747427790782425432009-08-04T12:39:54.632-05:002009-08-04T12:39:54.632-05:00I am not sure how many law enforcement jurisdictio...I am not sure how many law enforcement jurisdictions cover Houston. I am sure there are several. When you take into consideration all the Constables, Sheriff's deputies, the Metro Bus Police, the HISD police and I am sure there are some I have forgotten, we HAVE PLENTY OF COPS! The last thing we need is another cop.<br /><br />OH, and don't forget the DEA, FBI, DPS, CIA, ICE, INS, IRS and God knows who else has enforcement authority over "we the people".<br /><br />ENOUGH DAMN POLICE...I CANT TAKE ANYMORE LOL!Hook Em Hornshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04660612847019528535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-52454322551947824372009-08-04T10:46:12.864-05:002009-08-04T10:46:12.864-05:00Thanks for the appearance and input, Mr. Olsen.Thanks for the appearance and input, Mr. Olsen.Mark # 1noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-76890625781467106432009-08-04T10:21:25.692-05:002009-08-04T10:21:25.692-05:00Grits, This is Brad Olson from the Chronicle. Good...Grits, This is Brad Olson from the Chronicle. Good questions as always. I can see why the events seemed like a disconnect, but the reality is that both things are actually true: Houston's crime rates are down compared to previous years, yet violent crime is still to be pretty high compared to other U.S. cities and are the highest among other cities in Texas (our data is here if anyone wants to see: blogs.chron.com/houstonpolitics).Bradley Olsonhttp://blogs.chron.com/houstonpoliticsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-25655219968361013922009-08-04T09:08:16.213-05:002009-08-04T09:08:16.213-05:00"Cities should not be penalized for good law ..."Cities should not be penalized for good law enforcement and sound financial practices."<br /><br />This quote is hilarious. If Houston has good law enforcement and sound financial practices, then why the heck do they NEED money for more police? Doesn't it make sense to this pinhead that the money should be allocated to places that DON'T have good law enforcement? It's all gimme, gimme, gimme in this country today. To hell with the other guy who's actually in need.<br /><br />That's why (I know, off topic) we can't get REAL health care reform passed. There's no compassion left in America. "I got mine, the rest of you can go to hell."Charlie Onoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-43732085744361910902009-08-04T02:57:06.295-05:002009-08-04T02:57:06.295-05:00Local media coverage of crime is why people are so...Local media coverage of crime is why people are so concerned despite lower crime rates. If you watch the 10'0 clock news you think you are in a war zone.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-46217542888521311342009-08-04T00:58:09.022-05:002009-08-04T00:58:09.022-05:00"That, [Hurtt] said, would bring the city'..."That, [Hurtt] said, would bring the city's staffing levels to about 3 officers per 1,000 residents, the average among other major U.S. cities. Right now, there are about 2.3 officers per 1,000 Houstonians."<br /><br />2.3 is a bogus number. Here's why. Houston has numerous policing agencies that take responsibility for large segments of the population at various locations and times. Houston ISD handles the crimes committed by thousands of students during the hours of 7 to 3 (ballpark) and all of their property. UT police handle the UT medical properties 24 hours a day. Metro handles transit line crime, including on-board, on street, and at stops. Constables cover areas all over Houston, including fulfilling patrol functions in some areas of the city. They also handle the toll roads in the city. An accurate comparison can't be done against other communities unless this is taken into consideration. Dallas may have DART police but other cities, for example, don't have transit cops. Point is it is only a PR number brought up to increase staffing - but you knew that already. It would just be nice to have accurate figures before going into debt.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-71447517369086644122009-08-03T16:40:31.973-05:002009-08-03T16:40:31.973-05:00Grits,
I like the part of the Chronicle article w...Grits,<br /><br />I like the part of the Chronicle article where they point out that funding for the Houston Police increased 40%, $200 Million per year, over the last five years. That's an extra BILLION dollars and we have fewer officers than five years ago. Ridiculous! Who do you believe? The we need more money crowd, or the lowest crime in decades folks? I really don't know.<br /><br />JimAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com