I believe there is a way to re-imagine community management, and that’s why I have created a new public safety initiative – the District J Patrol. This patrol is a three-pronged approach that bridges the gap between the law enforcement officers in District J and the communities they serve. This new public safety initiative will include community patrolling by Houston Police Department’s Differential Response Team (DRT), the use of two new Polaris vehicles, and the District J Patrol Community Committee.

The Houston Police Department is operating with far fewer officers than other major cities of similar size in the United States. The department is often spread thin and has to prioritize more serious crimes over smaller neighborhood violations and infringements such as panhandling, loitering, overgrown lots, graffiti, junk motor vehicles, property code violations, homeless encampments and other public nuisances. To help bridge that gap, my office created the District J Patrol Community Committee. This committee is made up of 10 individuals from within the district who will serve as a liaison between the community and the police department. The committee members were selected based on their existing leadership and engagement within their own neighborhoods in District J as well as their availability and interest. The committee will focus on quality of life concerns and neighborhood violations and work directly with HPD’s Differential Response Team (DRT) making this patrol primarily community driven.

The DRT is a group of officers specially trained to use problem-solving strategies in community policing. They work proactively to solve problems at the neighborhood level, such as calls involving mental health or substance abuse issues, to reduce the fear of crime. These officers undergo departmental training for certification every year to seek the root causes of community crime issues. I envision the DRT working in collaboration with the District J Patrol Committee to tackle non-violent issues that can affect quality of life.

In conjunction with the District J Patrol Community Committee and the DRT officers, we have purchased two new Polaris vehicles for DRT officers to use while patrolling. These vehicles are reserved for District

J, and they allow officers to patrol the area in unique ways because they give officers access to areas a regular patrol car does not. The fully equipped Polaris vehicles, which can go up to speeds of 60 mph, can go off road for patrolling in parks and bayous, vacant lots, within apartment complexes, and they’re designed in an “open” concept, allowing officers to fully engage with residents while patrolling. The vehicles also have a distinct look which will ensure increased presence awareness. District J is the only district in the city of Houston with these dedicated vehicles for a dedicated patrol.

The DRT officers and Polaris vehicles are completely funded by my office’s Council District Service Fund dollars. Patrol shifts will begin with officers using overtime pay, several days a week, and will increase as the program evolves.

As a society, we are dealing with some tough issue around policing and community engagement. We cannot keep doing the same thing and expecting a different result, which is why we need to embrace new and creative ideas. This three-pronged initiative to public safety is a modern approach that encourages collaboration between law enforcement and members of the community so that we may all live in a better and safer district and a safer city.

Edward Pollard, Houston City Council District J