Residents raise crime concerns with Harris County sheriff

Houston Chronicle—August 30th, 2009

West Harris County residents told Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia and his staff at an Aug. 29 town-hall meeting in Katy that they needed help with graffiti and gangs.

Larry Peak of North Glen subdivision said both graffiti and gang activity had become more noticeable in the last three or four years. “This is getting out of control,” he said.

Garcia said the Harris County Sheriff’s Department has formed a gang task force which has been in action for 90 days. He said the department is collaborating with other law enforcement agencies. He asked staff to follow-up on the situation in Peak’s neighborhood. “If there is a problem point, we’ll focus on it,” Garcia said.

Barker’s Ridge resident Corina Love added that graffiti also has become more noticeable in her neighborhood.

Garcia referenced an east-end graffiti abatement program and said “The people doing it (painting over the graffiti) are the people in our custody.

“Gangs tend to be disproportionately responsible for crimes in the community,” Garcia added. “There are some significant challenges out there.”

Garcia reminded town-hall attendees that fighting crime is a partnership between law enforcement officials and residents.

“We offer a lot of resources,” Garcia said to more than 50 people who assembled at Second Baptist Church West Campus, 19449 Katy Freeway. “We need you to get involved.”

To underscore his point, he said of the 67 vehicles parked in the lot for the meeting, deputies found six unlocked cars and 19 locked but with valuables in plain view. Common motor vehicle burglary crime prevention tips include locking cars and keeping valuables out of view.

“Help us help you,” Garcia said.
Contract deputies

The Harris County Sheriff’s Department covers unincorporated portions of the county. The department as well as the constable’s office have contracts with homeowners associations and other agencies in which they pay extra for patrols.

Garcia said he would prefer to have enough deputies on patrol to make the contract program unnecessary. He said the county is studying the contract program and a report is expected the middle of next month.

Of the 153 deputies who patrol in District IV, 87 are contract, said Maj. Ronnie Silvio, patrol bureau.

Priority 1 calls for service — those where a light and siren are required — between January and July 2008 totaled 60,763. That compares to 64,557 for the same period in 2009.

But, Silvio said the population increased by 50 percent between 2000 and 2008.

District IV covers 220 square miles and has 220,000 residents, he said.

The north boundary is U.S. 290 and the west boundary is the Harris/Waller County line. The district also includes the Alief area near Texas 6 and FM 1093 as well as an area south of FM 259 between Texas 6 and the Sam Houston Tollway.

Sgt. Michael Wong of the Criminal Investigation Bureau reported on the Safe Home Task Force, an effort to better coordinate efforts to combat serious residential crimes such as home invasions and burglaries that involve sexual assaults or violence or threats of violence.
Other issues

Stan Dicken reported on problems with illegal parking on narrow Baker Road south of Greenwind Chase. A second resident from the Baker Road area elaborated on the problem with questions about what can be enforced and which agency should be involved.

To one woman’s concern about road safety after she talked about motorists texting, talking on the cell phone or being otherwise distracted while driving, Garcia referred to it as “the new age drunken driving.” Sheriff’s department officials mentioned unsuccessful legislation that had been introduced on this topic and encouraged residents to contact their legislators.