A new force rises From the Cover
Two-minute impact
Houston crime trends
Jan. 1-July 31
Turner and HPD Chief Troy Finner have both attributed decreases in violent crime in 2022 and 2023 to investments made through the One Safe Houston initiative, a multipronged crime ghting e ort launched in February 2022 that has involved funding cadet retention e orts and o cer overtime as well as new behavioral health programs, gun buyback events and domestic abuse response. “[The crime drop] is because of the mayor … giving money to police and re to reduce crime, in a holistic plan that threw its arms around everybody in Houston,” Finner said of One Safe Houston at an Aug. 11 community event to celebrate its progress. Although HPD data shows decreases in some violent crimes, such as murder and aggravated assault, some crimes, such as theft from motor vehicles, have increased when comparing the rst seven months of 2023 with the same timeframe in 2022, according to HPD data. Meanwhile, in the 2023-24 budget, Turner also prioritized incentives for new cadets. The city has been able to drop the number of police o cers eligible for retirement from 38% in 2016 to 28% as the city has enlisted about 2,200 cadets, Turner said.
Kidnapping, abduction
Sexual assault*
Aggravated assault
Theft from motor vehicle
Murder
Robbery
5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000
0
Full year
25,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 30,000
5,000 0
*DEFINED ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL INCIDENT BASED REPORTING SYSTEM, WHICH INCLUDES CRIMES OF RAPE, SODOMY, SEXUAL ASSAULT WITH AN OBJECT AND FONDLING
SOURCE: HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENTCOMMUNITY IMPACT
helped establish. In the 2023-24 budget, Turner said he increased the city’s fund balance—which func- tions as a savings account for the city—to $401 million, or $220 million above the minimum in the city’s charter. Funding gaps that may exist during the FY 2024-25 budgeting process could be covered by the fund balance, Turner said.
and crime and more than $7 million toward cadet retention e orts. Under federal guidelines, cities must have all ARPA funds allocated by December 2024, and all funds must be spent by December 2026. Once ARPA funding dries up, cities such as Houston will be on their own for nding ways to fund new patrol initiatives and cadet incentives that ARPA
Zooming in
About $60 million of the HPD budget for the 2023-24 scal year comes from federal corona- virus relief funds through the American Rescue Plan Act, including $20 million toward patrol enhancements meant to help reduce violence
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