Mayor White’s plan for crime — let other people pay for it!
by Owen Courrèges · 12/28/2005 9:04 amMayor White really cracks me up. He’s willing to support the use of taxpayer dollars for cost-inefficient rail systems, but balks at the idea of using tax dollars to bolster our police force.
In case you haven’t noticed, we’re in the midst of a crippling police shortage that’s only getting worse. Prior to the introduction of low-income Katrina refugees from high-crime areas, there was the problem of MS-13 and increased graffiti. For some time, we’ve needed a mayor who would focus on crime prevention.
So, is Bill White our man? Not really. As this glowing Chronicle editorial shows, his grand two-part plan is 1) to make FEMA pay for more police, and 2) to make apartment complexes pay for security guards:
The mayor has asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide $6.5 million for a police task force to focus on troubled areas. This would be a good use of federal funds.
The White administration is expected to push an ordinance next year that will require apartment complexes registering a high number of calls for police assistance to hire in-house security officers to protect residents. Such a law would allow for round-the-clock deterrence and law enforcement in high crime areas and make maximum use of regular police patrols.
It’s only fair that apartment complex owners reaping increased revenues from storm-induced high occupancy rates should shoulder their share of the increased security costs. Their residents — and the city — will be safer from the threat of criminal activity. Vigorous anticrime measures are essential to making the rise in homicides a statistical anomaly rather than a long-term trend.
Begging FEMA to foot the bill isn’t much of a plan. FEMA has balked at paying numerous other bills, and there are already numerous other public officials clamoring for FEMA dollars. White might find himself drowned out in all of this, and the city of Houston will have to pay for it.
What then? Will White adjust yellow light times to enhance revenue from red light cameras? Start another round of jaywalking crackdowns? Concoct another SafeClear scam? With White at the helm, one can only speculate.
As far as making high-crime apartment complexes pay for security guards, I fail to see how that will truly help. All that will happen is rents will jump to pay for security, which means White plans to stick it to poor residents. And security guards aren’t going to be able any serious crimes, really. All they can do is call the police, which costs Houston money.
I’m still not hearing anything from White that sounds like a real solution, i.e. more academy classes and hiring more officiers.
UPDATE: I think Sedosi puts the situation in better perspective than I:
I’m sure that FEMA will be more than willing to overlook the terrible contracts and pensions written by the Brown administration which led to decreases in HPD staffing levels, the rise of MS-13 in Houston due to the department’s unwillingness to crack down on illegal immigration, and Mayor White’s programs that led to more police being out generating revenue downtown than patrolling neighborhoods to prevent crime.Yeah…I’m sure of that.
I’d almost forgotten about White’s "productivity policy" that encourages police to write more tickets instead of patrolling (which appears unproductive!). Is there anything White does that doesn’t involve finding alternate revenue streams?
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13 Responses to “Mayor White’s plan for crime — let other people pay for it!”Search
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Just keep saying, “At least he’s not Lee. P. Brown”.
I remember Raddack saying FEMA still owes Houston money for Allison. Bill White needs to send NOLA the bill. Or start kicking the Katrina clans out of here. All it would take is to stop the freebies and they will all leave. Sounds easy to me.
I think the rash of apartment fires recently can be tied to digruntled NOLAs residents giving the finger to theapartment complexes that housed them and are now booting them out.
As for the Mayor’s scam, it reeks of Socialism. Oh no, another “ism”.
The security guard suggestion is a joke. We’ll just have more dead security guards, that’s all. These animals don’t care about the cops let alone a wannabe.
#3 Dugger - there’s always an increase in fires around Christmas - the lights, candles, heaters, etc. I don’t think it’s a Katrina refugee issue, although there could be an isolated incident here and there.
Headshaker, I would be inclined to agree but I do not think the weather has been cold enough for the folks to be using space heaters and barbaque pits inside the house this year.
He needs to get rid of “Sanctuary City” and apply for the money that the Immagration Laws will bring to the city. GaryC
To editor, please call me about this. 713-721-3314
Our White Mayor is very, very disappointing. Just wait until he runs for Federal office. . . .
Immigration Laws? LMAO please he will not do that! Just as they are failing to prosecute those who hire them!!!! Face it.. its not going to happen anytime soon!
#4 Headshaker,
Used to be that apartment complexes hired policemen, give them an apartment for free, just to have their presence there. The officer was to be at the complex when he wasn’t at work. Some complexes hire off duty officers to patrole the complex grouneds. Don’t know if this is still going on. It really makes sense to do this rather than have a wannabe officer who would just have to call the police, like you said.
When the mayor and the chief realize that the police department is a law enforcement agency and not a revenue generation department, and let the officers go back to acting accordingly, then our crime level will go back down. Until then, no amount of money and new officers will help if those new officers are still hamstrung by a quota system that says they have to earn “points” based on how many revenue generating tickets they write.
There are at least as many illegal aliens in Houston as there are Katrina evacuees and problably way more. However, Mayor White and Chief Hurtt (as did their predecessors) don’t seem to have a problem with the gang activity and increased crime the illegals have brought us - not to mention the horrendus property tax increases we got to pay for all of the freebies we give them. Talk about hypocrisy!
#11.
* Yes there are many more illegals than Katrina evacs.! I prefer them over the trash that was sent our way after the storm!
* You speak as if only illegals commit crimes! Try and see what neighborhoods are the worst in Houston! It is not the Hispanic areas either!
* Do you really believe we pay higher taxes because of them? Ever stop to think of how the politicians are lining their pockets? Ever think that illegals own homes too, therefor they too are paying the same taxes as you?
Logic and common sense is all there is to it….
You can’t really blame White for looking for other revenue streams.
We’ve known since Lanier that we were mortgaging the city’s future with the stupid, senseless social programs (I still seethe about the $600K for band uniforms) and payback deals the city council has been making for decades.
It’s just that the bills are coming due on White’s watch.
If only he weren’t a liberal democrat, he’d be able to cut some spending as well as increase revenue to make ends meet.