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Crime In The Heights


PureAuteur

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I was just pulled over today coming from the UPS store on 19th. I was trying to get back to T.C. Jester, after doing a little sight seeing, and I wound up on 18th headed toward the 20th intersection by Restaurant Depot. I didn't see any "no left turn" signs there, but I did see a cop car sitting right across the street staring right at me (he was sitting there about 30 minutes before too). As soon as I turned left, he pulled out and followed me before pulling me over. I honestly didn't see any signs, and the fact that the cop just sits waiting for a violation is unethical in my opinion. They are supposed to be public safety officers, not aggressors. I should have known better than to attempt that turn. It did seem like a risky move.

Anyways, just a warning to everyone of that spot. Be careful about left turns around there, and those cops will pull you over. They won't reason with you either. What a way to start my 25th birthday!

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that stinks - but happy birthday!

the same thinghappens at the walgreen's on montrose near hawthorne...if you are heading south on montrose, don't dare make a left turn on the sidestreet before hawthorne (although it is marked with a no left turn sign). a while back, every time i drove by there, the cop had someone...

and, he was a motorcycle cop, nestled behind a shrub next to the drive way...sneaky!

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Yeah, it's really disgusting how the stuff that is truly a problem never gets dealt with, but a law abiding person like myself gets a hefty fine for making a wrong left turn unintentionally.

There are people who walk in the middle of the streets or just cross right in front of you with a baby stroller before you have time to react. Then who knows how many people are driving without registration and expired inspection stickers. If you're going to be aggressive about something, it should be this.

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I was just pulled over today coming from the UPS store on 19th. I was trying to get back to T.C. Jester, after doing a little sight seeing, and I wound up on 18th headed toward the 20th intersection by Restaurant Depot. I didn't see any "no left turn" signs there, but I did see a cop car sitting right across the street staring right at me (he was sitting there about 30 minutes before too). As soon as I turned left, he pulled out and followed me before pulling me over. I honestly didn't see any signs, and the fact that the cop just sits waiting for a violation is unethical in my opinion. They are supposed to be public safety officers, not aggressors. I should have known better than to attempt that turn. It did seem like a risky move.

Anyways, just a warning to everyone of that spot. Be careful about left turns around there, and those cops will pull you over. They won't reason with you either. What a way to start my 25th birthday!

Happy birthday!

Go back to that intersection to check how clearly "no left turn' is marked. If there's any question, take a picture. Last week during the public session of the city council meeting, there was discussion about the man who was killed when his Hummer hiit a bridge abutment downtown; his sister maintains that it was due to poor signage. Mayor White took interest in this issue, and you might get a sympathetic ear if the sign isn't clearly visable.

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I was just pulled over today coming from the UPS store on 19th. I was trying to get back to T.C. Jester, after doing a little sight seeing, and I wound up on 18th headed toward the 20th intersection by Restaurant Depot. I didn't see any "no left turn" signs there, but I did see a cop car sitting right across the street staring right at me (he was sitting there about 30 minutes before too). As soon as I turned left, he pulled out and followed me before pulling me over. I honestly didn't see any signs, and the fact that the cop just sits waiting for a violation is unethical in my opinion. They are supposed to be public safety officers, not aggressors. I should have known better than to attempt that turn. It did seem like a risky move.

Anyways, just a warning to everyone of that spot. Be careful about left turns around there, and those cops will pull you over. They won't reason with you either. What a way to start my 25th birthday!

sorry to hear about that ... i celebrated my 40th yesterday too. congrats and may you live a long, happy life.

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Anyone happen to catch the Channel 2 story this evening about cops that write tickets for expired plates or inspections, and their own personal vehicles have been out for over 2 years ? Hysterical.

I saw it...and i can see some cops doing that but what was really shocking to me was how wide spread it was.

lots of cops in every station did it..like it was an "understood" priviledge for police not to have to get inspection stickers or registration on their personal vehicles and that their co-workers would let them off the hook.

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HPD has two divisions: traffic & patrol. Patrol are the ones who repsond to 911 calls. Traffic are the ones whose sole purpose is to find traffic violators.

So yes, HPD has a whole division of officers not protecting the public, but enforcing driving laws instead.

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Is there anyone who lives nearby with a digital camera who could take a picture of the no left turn signs leading up to the intersection of 18th and 20th by Restaurant Depot? If they are poorly visible, maybe I can convince the judge to let me off.

Sorry to burst your bubble PureAuteur, but I drive through that intersection almost daily. It's clearly marked. However, always fight a non-speeding traffic ticket with a trial by judge. Costs you almost nothing except time spent, and Houston cops are notorious for not showing up.

Another spot in the Heights that gets a lot of activity is on Shepherd just north of I10 going over the bridge at the RR tracks. About once a week at the bottom of the bridge police will set up shop with 2-3 cruisers and a cop with a handheld radar gun. I've seen up to 6 cars in a row waiting to get their ticket as people tend to come flying over the bridge easily 15-20 mph over the limit of 35 mph.

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Funny... but we've been hearing so much about the higher murder rates and slower response time by HPD recently.... a lot about their needing to hire more officers and recruiting efforts.... yet we all have tons of stories of these regular speed traps that the police set up.. and it does indeed usually involve 2 squad cars and 3 officers... sometimes 3 cars.... I understand that people shouldn't speed, but the traps are put into spots where they know it is nearly unavoidable.... their goal in these little traps isn't public safety, but revenue generation... that to me is wrong.... also, a lawyer informed me that now HPD is trying to write as many tickets as possible when they do stop you... so make sure your stickers are up to date... make sure you have a front license plate on... make sure if you have a rear license plate frame that it isn't in violation of that obstruction law... if they can get ANY non-moving violation they make $$ off of you...

my warning to people in the area...... I-10 heading eastbound.... at Studemont there will be 2 squad cars regularly parked here... one car will be parked under I-10 and the other is up by the stop light... there will be 1 officer manning the radar gun and 2 usually on foot at the intersection waving people to pull over... I see this at least 2-3 times per week in the afternoons around 3pm-5pm.... they will hit you with the radar as you exit the freeway... of course nearly everyone is speeding because you have to go from 60mph down to 35mph fairly quickly and I don't know ANYONE that drives 35mph on the feeders... so it makes merging dangerous if you're slowing down that much.... but still they'll give you a ticket.... your best bet is to exit, notice the cops sitting there and just get right back on I-10 and take the next exit.... I routinely see 3-4 cars getting tickets at the same time here... it is nearly unavoidable...

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Sorry to burst your bubble PureAuteur, but I drive through that intersection almost daily. It's clearly marked. However, always fight a non-speeding traffic ticket with a trial by judge. Costs you almost nothing except time spent, and Houston cops are notorious for not showing up.

Another spot in the Heights that gets a lot of activity is on Shepherd just north of I10 going over the bridge at the RR tracks. About once a week at the bottom of the bridge police will set up shop with 2-3 cruisers and a cop with a handheld radar gun. I've seen up to 6 cars in a row waiting to get their ticket as people tend to come flying over the bridge easily 15-20 mph over the limit of 35 mph.

HeightsGuy- I decided to drive by there again today to check out the signs. The officer, when he pulled me over, told me there were 3 signs that stated it was no left turn. I discovered today there was only one sign, and not only that, it was about 1/4 mile from the actual intersection, with no sign at the intersection itself. It was a small sign that had the symbol for no left turn, then underneath in tiny letters "at 20th intersection". Even though it is marked properly, there is no sign at the intersection itself, and it is too far from it and easy to miss. I was actually looking around at some of the new development on the left side of the road and didn't see the sign. It was actually my first time to go down that road, even though I am familiar with the area. I'm going to go the court date and try and win with that evidence. Also, I will point out that the cop was positioned across the street for the sole purpose of trapping someone, and that is unethical.

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The other place my wife and I see fairly consistent police presence is the Heights exit off of I-10, particularly when you are heading east and dump off onto Studewood. Seems there is always a gaggle of cops there several times a month. I hate how the officers think its okay for them to step into traffic and expect everyone to 1) see them, 2) give them lots of room and 3) know exactly who they are pointing at. I've seen several times where there was confusion and the cops reacted as if someone was taking away their donuts. Suddenly all of them got aggressive and angry. >:)

I know there are two divisions with the police department, but I agree with the general concensus that the true speeding problems are within our neighborhoods, where children, pets and people walk around. With Studewood being under construction, Oxford has become a major traffic street below 11th and at times, people think nothing of driving 40+. Hanging out on major streets while ignoring the neighborhoods seems like a lazy way to do their job. I could park on a street and hand out tickets -- no talent there, but working the smaller streets takes time, patience and commitment.

OH...MAJOR ANNOYANCE is those new speed guns they use. They are supposed to be accurate but I almost had a heart attack when one of those cops pointed it at me when I was about 100 feet away. I couldn't tell if he was pointing his real gun (which was my immediate reaction) or that speed thing. The stance is the same, the posture is the same...maybe its just me but I find it freaky.

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  • 3 months later...

I didn't want to mention this on here and mess up our pleasant discussions with negative things, but after yesterday I'm at a loss of where to begin. I need to know what to do.

Back story:

Yesterday, either the inhalant selling young man or one of his band of customers was arrested for trying to break into the front door of one of the houses across the street in the late afternoon when she was at home with her daughter. This is an escalation from the usual using and selling activities.

The cop:

The cop came and arrested the guy for trespassing or something unrelated to his usual activities. After he had the guy in the car, we asked him our burning question, "What are we supposed to do when we see this stuff going on?" (As porch sitting community member, we all see stuff.)

The cop was nice, but had nothing to offer. He said I should get with my homeowner's association and put pressure on those people (motioning to the five plex where the bad guy lives). I was confused for a minute and then realized that the cop was suggesting that I put some sort of deed restriction pressure on the homeowner to make it uncomfortable for them to live there?

I explained to the cop that we don't have those kinds of deed restrictions. And, he said there was basically nothing they could do, since we can't go this deed restriction route?

My thoughts:

Now, no one cares that the five plex is there and that lower income people live there. We just don't want this one law breaking guy and his friends fragrantly standing around using inhalants.

And what is this idea of law enforcement via deed restriction anyway? This is such wrong thinking, imo.

Questions:

Who should I write about this?

Who should I call?

What should I do?

I know my neighbors are waiting for the same direction...

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Questions:

Who should I write about this?

Who should I call?

What should I do?

I know my neighbors are waiting for the same direction...

do you have a storefront nearby? or a substation? you can put in a watch slip there and report the situation. they will HOPEFULLY watch the area more diligently. I'd start here.

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First, contact your city councilman and ask them to inquire with the police about why officers don't feel like they should enforce the law. Selling inhalants on the street is very likely a crime, as are trespassing and breaking-and-entering. Be polite, but firm. Start with a written letter, and follow up with a phone call. The cops may not take you seriously, but the department tends to jump when council members start making inquiries.

Second, talk to HL&P about getting a streetlight installed right there. Power companies are usually more than eager to install new streetlights for free where people want them. I know the incident you spoke of happened in the afternoon, but you don't want this turning into a 24-hour operation.

Third, this sounds like a good opportunity to start a neighborhood watch. I believe there's some organization within the city or possibly even federal level that helps you with this. If all of that is too formal, then try to organize a few neighbors to start hanging out in the place that guy hangs out -- kind of like the guys standing along the fence in King of the Hill cartoons. It sends the message that it's YOUR turf, not his. Bring a radio and a cooler so you can stay longer and attract more people. Heck, bring a hibachi. Even if it's just two people, it's enough. Bring a camera and start taking pictures of his customers. As long as you're standing on the sidewalk or in the street you can legally take pictures of anyone you want whether they like it or not. And if it makes them uncomfortable, then they'll move on.

I guess that's the crux of what I'm saying -- you have to make it uncomfortable for this guy to continue his business. Yes, it's inconvenient for you. It's easy to say "someone" should take care of it, meaning the police. But think of it this way -- this kid is lowering your property value. Every huff that takes place on your block takes money out of your pocket. Your home is your biggest investment. And is having a barbecue on the sidewalk and meeting the neighbors really the hardest thing you'll do this summer?

If that doesn't work for you, I bet your fellow HAIFers can come up with some more aggressive tactics.

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There is also the matter of being dilligent about the guy.

I've heard reports of people setting up Video cameras and keeping a constant vigil with that.

In regards to his huffing on his own property, as long as he doesn't do anything else that concerns someone else, there is really nothing he can do.

The police are simply overwhelmed by other calls to catch a single person who is huffing, which is considered a relatively minor crime.

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Memorize the police non-emergency phone number and call it! Report stuff like, "drug activity" "suspicious person on the property" "suspicous activitiy" and "noise disturbance" - good luck.

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First, contact your city councilman and ask them to inquire with the police about why officers don't feel like they should enforce the law. Selling inhalants on the street is very likely a crime, as are trespassing and breaking-and-entering. Be polite, but firm. Start with a written letter, and follow up with a phone call. The cops may not take you seriously, but the department tends to jump when council members start making inquiries.

Ok, this sounds good. I will get my neighbors to do the same.

Second, talk to HL&P about getting a streetlight installed right there. Power companies are usually more than eager to install new streetlights for free where people want them. I know the incident you spoke of happened in the afternoon, but you don't want this turning into a 24-hour operation.

I am going to look into this. Unfortunately, however, it already is 24 hours.

Third, this sounds like a good opportunity to start a neighborhood watch. I believe there's some organization within the city or possibly even federal level that helps you with this. If all of that is too formal, then try to organize a few neighbors to start hanging out in the place that guy hangs out -- kind of like the guys standing along the fence in King of the Hill cartoons. It sends the message that it's YOUR turf, not his. Bring a radio and a cooler so you can stay longer and attract more people. Heck, bring a hibachi. Even if it's just two people, it's enough. Bring a camera and start taking pictures of his customers. As long as you're standing on the sidewalk or in the street you can legally take pictures of anyone you want whether they like it or not. And if it makes them uncomfortable, then they'll move on.

We all watch them; they see us watching them. I think they're so strung out they don't care very much. I'm still going to encourage the watching b/c even strung out humans don't like to be watched by nature. It might help a little, if not enirely solve the problems. Maybe a diary of activity too? I think the only thing they're bothered by are police cars...

I guess that's the crux of what I'm saying -- you have to make it uncomfortable for this guy to continue his business. Yes, it's inconvenient for you. It's easy to say "someone" should take care of it, meaning the police. But think of it this way -- this kid is lowering your property value. Every huff that takes place on your block takes money out of your pocket. Your home is your biggest investment. And is having a barbecue on the sidewalk and meeting the neighbors really the hardest thing you'll do this summer?

If that doesn't work for you, I bet your fellow HAIFers can come up with some more aggressive tactics.

All ideas are welcome...

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yep and 9 times out of 10, will end up on eternal hold :( :( :( :( :(

I've actually had pretty good response from the HPD non-emergency number. I think it's 222-3131, but you should check before dialing. If the person answering thinks it's serious, they'll forward you to 911. Otherwise, they've been pretty responsive. I've called for kids breaking windows in cars and stuff and an officer usually showed up in about ten minutes. You just have to be polite and coherent.

The police are simply overwhelmed by other calls to catch a single person who is huffing, which is considered a relatively minor crime.

Well, that's the problem right there. Ignoring "minor" crimes leads to boldness by the criminals and even more crimes. New York learned that lesson, and learned that the way to combat major crime is to crack down on the minor ones. Giuliani's "piss and beer patrol" focused on arresting people for minor offenses like public urination and drinking on the street. Guess what they found? Most of these "minor" crimes were being committed by people with longer rap sheets. The psychology of the criminal runs along the lines of, "I've knifed three people this month. I'm not worried about some cop hassling me over a beer." New York's crime rate for major crimes tumbled after the crackdown on minor crimes began. It's a method being emulated by other cities. It's time for Houston to get on board.

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while i agree with all that you stated, the fact of the matter is that we don't have enough police at the moment to take of some of the problems.

the city is currently doing general nuking to try to alleviate some of the bigger crime areas.

what you're recommending something more of along the lines often a running battle or surgical strike.

if we had more cops, then yes. at the moment i don't think its entirely feasibile

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Maybe they don't have the manpower, but I'd like them to give up the minor vs. major crime idea.

On NPR, they ran a story on a county that is performing DNA sampling at all crime scenes. They are solving rapes based on the information gathered at the burglary scenes. This department was suprised by the finding that the burglary was an indicator that the person is likely to be involved in the more serious one. Now that they recognize it, they can act on it.

In my experience, HPD treats burglaries as minor despite this correlation. (I ask those officers that give me that impression: how did they find the Galleria rapist recently?). The huffing guy was just using and selling last week. This week he's trying to enter a woman's house while she's at home with her daughter. Why does it take people becoming potential victims of more serious crime for it to matter...I, for one, don't like the idea of being the sacraficial lamb to make HPD take someone seriously.

Manpower shortage is no excuse for over simplifying your thinking about crime into minor and major categories.

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while i agree with all that you stated, the fact of the matter is that we don't have enough police at the moment to take of some of the problems.

the city is currently doing general nuking to try to alleviate some of the bigger crime areas.

what you're recommending something more of along the lines often a running battle or surgical strike.

if we had more cops, then yes. at the moment i don't think its entirely feasibile

Were you a general or military planner in this life or a former life? :D:D

I wonder if theres a plan.......something like attempts to drive the offenders, drug dealers/users, prostitutes and patrons, to one particular area or areas and then pounce!

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