Spring - Klein Edition | March 2025

Cracking down on crime From the cover

The overview

Total incident response by ZIP code, 2019-24

77090 had the highest number of cases countywide with 41,931 cases between 2019-24.

Key

Fewer than 1,000 1,001-5,000 5,001-10,000 10,001-15,000 15,001-20,000 More than 20,000

The Harris County Sheri’s Oce will be getting a sixth district later this year when new boundary lines go into eect. Capt. Mike Koteras, who is overseeing the new Spring-area district, said reducing each district’s geographic area will: • Allow for a greater concentration of deputies in each district • Reduce radio trafic on each district’s channel • Reduce response times for calls for service This change will also allow for more strategic patrolling of violent crime hotspots such as the FM 1960 and I-45 corridor, he said. “You can have a criminal oense—a violent crime—occur on the west side of I-45, and the criminals could run across I-45 and … some of the [deputies] on the other side of I-45 may not know what’s going on,” Koteras said. Organized violent crime in apartment complexes, aggravated assaults and robberies at businesses are some of the key concerns for this area, Koteras said. Residents also have “quality of life” concerns, such as trash dumping, loud noise, stop sign violators and speeding. Koteras said he’s also focused on combatting homelessness with an emphasis on mental health.

290

77388

610

77389

77373

77379

610

77073

77070

77068

77069

77090

NOTE: WHILE THE MAP SHOWS ALL ZIP CODES COUNTYWIDE, THE HARRIS COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE SERVES UNINCORPORATED AREAS OF HARRIS COUNTY. SOURCE: HARRIS COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICECOMMUNITY IMPACT He said over 60% of Harris County inmates are medicated for mental health issues.

improve public safety alongside the HCSO. “We know we’re not supposed to leave stu in our car because someone walking around might be looking for opportunity to commit crime,” said Tracy Harrison, vice president of public safety for the North Houston District. “It has to be a continued eort on educating and reminding people because ... they become complacent.”

“The overwhelming majority of people that live on the street [do so] because they are addicted to drugs and alcohol to cope with their mental illness, and they can’t get the assistance,” he said. Other local stakeholders have programs to

A closer look

How we got here

Crime prevention efforts

Harris County officials have implemented several initiatives to reduce crime in hotspots such as Cypress Station Drive, from increasing law enforce- ment presence to planning public art installations. Targeted gun violence prevention programs from Harris County Public Health include: • Relentless Interrupters Serving Everyone , which supports potential perpetrators or victims • Holistic Assistance Response Team , in which certified specialists have responded to over 17,400 nonviolent social service calls HCA Houston Healthcare Northwest CEO Joel North said the RISE program operates at his hospi- tal, a Level II trauma center that sees a “high rate” of gunshot wounds. “They actually have someone that’s stationed in our ER, and when individuals come in as victims of violent crimes, they become part of our care team and work with us to … try to find how they got there and how do we change those behaviors,” he said.

2005 The last reconfiguration of the HCSO’s patrol districts is completed. March 2022 Harris County Public Health launches RISE and HART programs in high-need ZIP codes. October 2023 Preparations for redrawing the HCSO’s patrol district boundaries begin. May 2024 Command staff selects the final map for new district boundaries. August 2025 The HCSO will launch the new district.

Targeting crime in Cypress Station Since increasing law enforcement presence in Cypress Station in August 2023, crime has decreased substantially, HCSO officials said.

After 1 year

Now vs. Q1 2023

-16% -36%

Total reported incidents Violent crime Gateway crimes* Family violence incidents

-21% -34% -22% -36% -29% -47%

-49% -61%

Aggravated robbery

*GATEWAY CRIMES INCLUDE PROSTITUTION, CRIMINAL MISCHIEF, UNLAWFUL CARRYING OF A WEAPON AND MARIJUANA POSSESSION. SOURCE: HARRIS COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE/COMMUNITY IMPACT Aggravated assault -30% -43% Deadly conduct -50% -88%

SOURCES: HARRIS COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE, HARRIS COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH/COMMUNITY IMPACT

COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM