Mayor White's response

Houston Mayor Bill White's response to HPD's evaluation of Chief Harold Hurtt

Houston is fortunate to have an experienced and respected Police Chief who has been recognized by his peers as a national leader in law enforcement. Chief Harold Hurtt came to the department and inherited some difficult circumstances. They included a union contract which created an incentive for mass retirement of officers; a relationship with many neighborhoods in our community strained by two shooting deaths of juveniles; and longstanding problems in administration of the crime lab.

Houston is blessed to have the best trained, best educated, and best led police force in the nation. With the quality of officers up and down the line, I wouldn't trade the uniformed officers of the Houston Police Department for any other major city police force.

I have asked Chief Hurtt to keep focused on the fight on crime, especially in our hot spots, and the Force has responded with record numbers of arrests. In fact, uniformed officers have increased the number of arrest for serious crimes,, and crimes in most neighborhoods in most categories of crime per 100,000 of population have decreased. HPD under Chief Hurtt's leadership has made major strides in restoring confidence in the professionalism of the Department. Widespread implementation of tasers has reduced the risks to both citizens and officers; all elements of a troubled forensics lab have attained national certification; and the Department, from its recruiting classes to its command staff, reflects far more of the rich diversity of Houston than ever before.

HPD also faces challenges. Many officers are tiring from levels of increased overtime called for in extraordinary programs intended to respond to the surge in population and some criminal activity following the Katrina evacuation. It will take at least 24 months to build up the staff of uniformed officers to the required levels, even with the extraordinary number of Academy classes in 2005, 2006 and 2007. The Police Chief, command staff and captains who head our police divisions are trying to further increase the level of professionalism and officer safety with new deployments, work rules and accountability at a time when many officers are working very hard. That is a circumstance guaranteed to lead to some healthy tension between management and the union organization. I respect and have great confidence in the Houston Police Officers Union. I have confidence in the Chief and the management team. There will always be room for improvement in the performance of each individual's job, from the top to the bottom, and there will always be a natural, healthy tension between management and organized labor. I have urged both the Chief and the Union to talk to each other and concentrate on the goal of making Houston neighborhoods safe.

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