Post by admin1 on Jul 5, 2007 23:02:14 GMT -5
The Houston Police Department's Westside division will be reorganized, a new division will be created and a new captain of that division will be added.
Capt. R.A. Gerstner, Westside division commander, told residents attending the monthly Positive Interaction Program meeting June 21 the division is being reorganized to improve HPD's use of resources given the large geographic area now being covered by the Westside division.
The current Westside division covers 86 square miles with a population of approximately 363,000 people. It is bounded by U.S. 59, West Loop South, the Katy Freeway and Barker-Clodine Road.
District 18, previously covered by the Westside division, will become a separate division.
Bounded by South Gessner, U.S. 59, West Loop South and the Katy Freeway, it will be headed by Capt. Glenn Yorek, who is being transferred from Kingwood, effective June 30.
Gerstner said Districts 19 and 20 will continue to be under his command and part of the Westside Division.
District 19 is bounded by Synott Road, West Bellfort, U.S. 59, Beltway 8 and Alief-Clodine Road. District 20 encompasses the area within Alief-Clodine Road, South Gessner, the Katy Freeway and Barker-Clodine Road.
Some officers from the Westside division will be transferred to the new division that will initially function out of the Westside command station at 3203 South Dairy Ashford. HPD is looking for a suitable site to locate the new police division, Gerstner said.
At the meeting, Gerstner presented crime statistics for the Westside division for January through May. He said the rate for violent crimes in Westside is down, but burglary continues to be a major issue, as it is citywide.
• In District 18, violent crimes dropped by 12.29 percent in the first five months this year, compared to the same period last year, he said.
• In District 19, the violent crime rate has dropped by 4.98 percent in the five-month period.
• In District 20, the violent crime rate has dropped by 4.75 percent from January to May, compared to the same period last year.
In April 2007, 422 burglaries and 333 auto thefts were reported in Westside.
In addition, 363 cases of burglary of motor vehicles were also registered. District 18 had 658 cases of DWI, while 129 were reported in District 19 and none in District 20.
Commenting on the recent meeting about crime in the area known as Southwest Chinatown, Gerstner said, "The crime is down there, but the perception is that it is not."
Also, more help is on the way as the division hopes to get some additional officers soon as HPD is re-assigning about 70 officers from the jail division to the various patrol divisions, he said.
The Westside command still has $1 million remaining in Katrina relief funds to pay for additional patrol officers.
Gerstner said he is also hopeful to obtain another $4 million from a Community Block Development grant by July 1 to reinforce patrols.
Apartment complex compliance
Officer C. M. Engelhardt, PIP coordinator, advised owners of apartment complexes to register their facilities with HPD as required by a new ordinance. He said of the 400 apartment complexes in Westside, about 250 have not yet registered.
"The city is going to step up enforcement. Failure to register will result in a fine of $500 per day," he said. "The hammer is about to fall. If you are not registered, do so."
The monthly PIP meetings are held at 7 p.m. on the third Thursdays at the Westside command station. No sessions will be held in July and August.
For more information, call Engelhardt at 281-584-4957 or send e-mail to chris@engelhardt.com.
Capt. R.A. Gerstner, Westside division commander, told residents attending the monthly Positive Interaction Program meeting June 21 the division is being reorganized to improve HPD's use of resources given the large geographic area now being covered by the Westside division.
The current Westside division covers 86 square miles with a population of approximately 363,000 people. It is bounded by U.S. 59, West Loop South, the Katy Freeway and Barker-Clodine Road.
District 18, previously covered by the Westside division, will become a separate division.
Bounded by South Gessner, U.S. 59, West Loop South and the Katy Freeway, it will be headed by Capt. Glenn Yorek, who is being transferred from Kingwood, effective June 30.
Gerstner said Districts 19 and 20 will continue to be under his command and part of the Westside Division.
District 19 is bounded by Synott Road, West Bellfort, U.S. 59, Beltway 8 and Alief-Clodine Road. District 20 encompasses the area within Alief-Clodine Road, South Gessner, the Katy Freeway and Barker-Clodine Road.
Some officers from the Westside division will be transferred to the new division that will initially function out of the Westside command station at 3203 South Dairy Ashford. HPD is looking for a suitable site to locate the new police division, Gerstner said.
At the meeting, Gerstner presented crime statistics for the Westside division for January through May. He said the rate for violent crimes in Westside is down, but burglary continues to be a major issue, as it is citywide.
• In District 18, violent crimes dropped by 12.29 percent in the first five months this year, compared to the same period last year, he said.
• In District 19, the violent crime rate has dropped by 4.98 percent in the five-month period.
• In District 20, the violent crime rate has dropped by 4.75 percent from January to May, compared to the same period last year.
In April 2007, 422 burglaries and 333 auto thefts were reported in Westside.
In addition, 363 cases of burglary of motor vehicles were also registered. District 18 had 658 cases of DWI, while 129 were reported in District 19 and none in District 20.
Commenting on the recent meeting about crime in the area known as Southwest Chinatown, Gerstner said, "The crime is down there, but the perception is that it is not."
Also, more help is on the way as the division hopes to get some additional officers soon as HPD is re-assigning about 70 officers from the jail division to the various patrol divisions, he said.
The Westside command still has $1 million remaining in Katrina relief funds to pay for additional patrol officers.
Gerstner said he is also hopeful to obtain another $4 million from a Community Block Development grant by July 1 to reinforce patrols.
Apartment complex compliance
Officer C. M. Engelhardt, PIP coordinator, advised owners of apartment complexes to register their facilities with HPD as required by a new ordinance. He said of the 400 apartment complexes in Westside, about 250 have not yet registered.
"The city is going to step up enforcement. Failure to register will result in a fine of $500 per day," he said. "The hammer is about to fall. If you are not registered, do so."
The monthly PIP meetings are held at 7 p.m. on the third Thursdays at the Westside command station. No sessions will be held in July and August.
For more information, call Engelhardt at 281-584-4957 or send e-mail to chris@engelhardt.com.