Houston Police Union Leaders Warn of Safety Concerns Amid Officer Shortages
Leaders of the Houston Police Officers’ Union are raising alarm bells about the safety of the city as criminal suspects walk the streets on bond while the police department grapples with officer shortages.
“I have never in my lifetime – and I’m a lifelong Houstonian – seen this many suspected murderers and capital murderers who are walking the streets of Houston out on multiple bonds,” the union’s executive director Ray Hunt told Fox News Digital.
Hunt continued, “I would not let my wife or my kids walk down the streets of Houston at midnight under any circumstances. It is not safe in major cities in 2024, and it’s not safe here.”
The warning comes as the Houston Police Department faces challenges in recruiting and retaining officers, a problem that is affecting police departments nationwide.
“We’re in a perfect storm right now,” President Douglas Griffith said. “We had the George Floyd effect come down. We can’t hire. We can’t retain our officers. The people are leaving left and right.”
According to Griffith, a report from Sam Houston State University in 2014 revealed a shortage of 1,500 officers in the city, a problem that has only worsened over the years.
“We will never be able to investigate every case,” Griffith added, highlighting the strain on the department due to the shortage of personnel.
Hunt also criticized the court system for not holding suspects accountable, with some individuals in Harris County not going to court for five to six years. In contrast, criminals in Montgomery County, just north of Houston, are held responsible for their actions.
The situation in Houston mirrors the challenges faced by the Austin Police Department, which has experienced staffing shortages and longer 911-call response times following a vote to defund the department in 2020.
Overall, the concerns raised by the Houston Police Officers’ Union underscore the urgent need for addressing officer shortages and ensuring public safety in the city.
Elizabeth Heckman, a digital production assistant with Fox News, contributed to this report.
