By Mayor Sylvester Turner
Houston is getting safer, as the police chief and I recently announced. Reported violent crime fell 10.4 percent in 2018 compared to 2017.
But we will never relax our public safety work, which requires residents and HPD to work together. The public’s role includes neighbors watching out for neighbors and reporting suspicious activity to the police. There are concrete ways to do this.
If you feel unsafe around our home or your business, you can request increased patrols using the following link: https://www.houstontx.gov/police/alert_slip/ With your help, the police can be in the area and stop crimes before they start.
If you suspect gang activity in your area, I urge you to contact the Gang Division tip line: www.stophoustongangs.org
If you have information on a crime and want to report it without giving your name, please call Crime Stoppers at (713) 222-8477. All tipsters will remain anonymous and could be eligible for a cash reward.
Of course, if you witness a crime in progress, remain calm and dial 9-1-1 immediately. Be prepared to stay on line with the emergency dispatcher and inform them about where the crime is taking place, any suspect or vehicle descriptions, weapons involved, and any other useful information. Stay on the line until told to hang up by the dispatcher.
As a reminder, please do not use 9-1-1 for non-emergency situations; doing so causes delays in answering emergency calls. To request non-emergency police services for locations within the city limits of Houston, please call (713) 884-3131.
As our population grows, the potential for crime may grow as well. We need hundreds of more police officers patrolling our city, and limited resources are getting in the way expanding the force. But even when we beef up the ranks, we still need all Houstonians to be our eyes and ears. No law enforcement agency can be everywhere at once, so police officers need your guidance on where to be.
Hurricane Harvey showed us that Houston comes together in times of crisis. But we need to come together and be vigilant when there is no crisis.
There is no single reason why crime rises or falls in a big city like ours, but together we can contribute to moving the statistical numbers even lower.
