musicman Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 Mayor Bill White's sales pitch to voters for his city ballot propositions this fall came in part with a simple pledge: Vote yes, and "put more police on patrol.""Criminals, get packing," he warned in one television spot, complete with moving police cruisers and flashing lights. "We're coming at you with more."The reality, though, is more complex.After a spike in retirements and a lag in recruiting in recent years, the Houston Police Department indeed is trying to hire aggressively again, but continuing retirements and some less-than-capacity academy classes have slowed that progress.The department won't reach its previous force strength Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJones Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 We could have had at least 3 more police out there if Ms. Alvarado's office wasn't stealing from us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Marty Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 I done all i could do. I have a concealed hand gun license. I suggest every one here "legally" carry a pistol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted December 18, 2006 Author Share Posted December 18, 2006 We could have had at least 3 more police out there if Ms. Alvarado's office was stealing from us. should that be a wasn't? I done all i could do. I have a concealed hand gun license. I suggest every one here "legally" carry a pistol. I feel more secure already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJones Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 should that be a wasn't? It was wasn't, wasn't it ? Well, it is wasn't now, so don't worry about the was, cuz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Marty Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 should that be a wasn't?I feel more secure already. My dad show me the rope's of gun safety and let me shot a Smith and Wesson Saturday Night Special at age six, i learned a lot from that man before he passed in April. I think fathers a sons should go hunting together while you still can, turn the video games off and enjoy life. btw: you cant really do any thing about a city government that breaks the law with the sanctuary city program. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted December 18, 2006 Author Share Posted December 18, 2006 My dad show me the rope's of gun safety and let me shot a Smith and Wesson Saturday Night Special at age six, i leaned a lot from that man before he passed in April. I think fathers a sons should go hunting together while you still can, turn the video games off and enjoy life. btw: you cant really do any thing about a city government that breaks the law with the sanctuary city program.You related to Plastic? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Marty Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 You related to Plastic?Yes he is my older brother. not Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeebus Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 You related to Plastic?No kidding! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted December 18, 2006 Author Share Posted December 18, 2006 Yes he is my older brother.well if you are in possession of a gun he may not be for much longer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston1stWordOnTheMoon Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 My dad show me the rope's of gun safety and let me shot a Smith and Wesson Saturday Night Special at age six, i leaned a lot from that man before he passed in April. I think fathers a sons should go hunting together while you still can, turn the video games off and enjoy life. btw: you cant really do any thing about a city government that breaks the law with the sanctuary city program. Marty you sound like a freakin gun nut!!! BTW, both of my boys could shoot the heel off of a squirrel by the time they were 8 I think the military reserves would be a good place to look to recruit candidates for HPD officers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAK Posted January 4, 2007 Share Posted January 4, 2007 I done all i could do. I have a concealed hand gun license. I suggest every one here "legally" carry a pistol.That is signature material. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Marty Posted January 4, 2007 Share Posted January 4, 2007 No kidding! Yes i was kidding Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted January 4, 2007 Author Share Posted January 4, 2007 I think the military reserves would be a good place to look to recruit candidates for HPD officers.The just had a story on CH13 where the City of Houston is sending recruiters to Puerto Rico for new police officers. Can anyone say boondoggle?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston1stWordOnTheMoon Posted January 4, 2007 Share Posted January 4, 2007 The just had a story on CH13 where the City of Houston is sending recruiters to Puerto Rico for new police officers. Can anyone say boondoggle??Something doesnt smell right in the kitchen........Surely there are enough people in the Houston area for those positions. Is this someones way of getting a vacation on the tax payers dollars? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted January 4, 2007 Author Share Posted January 4, 2007 Something doesnt smell right in the kitchen........Surely there are enough people in the Houston area for those positions. Is this someones way of getting a vacation on the tax payers dollars?exactly. evidently they also went to other cities in the US as well and the pickings weren't good. they just graduated a class that was supposed to contain 70 people but only had 35 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feufoma Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 Is this really so surprising?? Houston's a dangerous place (more dangerous than most big cities in the U.S.). Low pay + working in a war zone = no recruits. Simple, really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricco67 Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 Is this really so surprising?? Houston's a dangerous place (more dangerous than most big cities in the U.S.). Low pay + working in a war zone = no recruits. Simple, really.I'd have to strongly disagree with you on that. Houston is far from the most dangerous city, the pay may not be the best, but it's somewhere in the top 10 for a major city.I don't see rampant murders in the streets, aside from the katrina on katrina crime, and usually that isn't that much of an issue to me. They'll off themselves in a couple of more years. accelerated darwinism, I say.but still, houston isn't near what it was back in the 80's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houstonian in Iraq Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 exactly. evidently they also went to other cities in the US as well and the pickings weren't good. they just graduated a class that was supposed to contain 70 people but only had 35One of my soldiers just graduated from that class. I haven't had a chance to talk to him.HPD has been hurting for a long while. I was debating about joining, the department just has a really bad rap(from the officers I had talked to)besides my wife would kill me before the criminals Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houstonmacbro Posted December 12, 2007 Share Posted December 12, 2007 Did they ever get the new cruisers they put in the budget?I've seen a billboard somewhere (and can't remember where now) where Dallas PD is recruiting here. I thought that was odd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted December 12, 2007 Share Posted December 12, 2007 exactly. evidently they also went to other cities in the US as well and the pickings weren't good. they just graduated a class that was supposed to contain 70 people but only had 35Their most recent class was a full 70 recruits.Oops...make that 69. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metrop...an/5368726.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houstonmacbro Posted December 12, 2007 Share Posted December 12, 2007 Their most recent class was a full 70 recruits.Oops...make that 69. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metrop...an/5368726.htmlThat sux. I know when I lived in DC and worked for the DCPD, they had a really hard time recruiting. They would offer all kinds of bonuses, incentives, raised the age, lowered the physical requirements.Seemed no one wants to be an officer any more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted December 12, 2007 Share Posted December 12, 2007 That's because everyone is going to be a millionaire in 'bidness'. The police force is like the army. Everyone thinks it is an honorable profession...for someone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatieDidIt Posted December 12, 2007 Share Posted December 12, 2007 That's because everyone is going to be a millionaire in 'bidness'. The police force is like the army. Everyone thinks it is an honorable profession...for someone else.Didn't Mayor Brown offer some sort of huge early retirement package and a huge part of the force retired in their 50's? I think this is when the problem started. I don't know if I'm remembering it right either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted December 12, 2007 Author Share Posted December 12, 2007 i think after 20 yrs they can get a full pension...or at least used to. quite a few bail then so they can have another career. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted December 12, 2007 Share Posted December 12, 2007 Didn't Mayor Brown offer some sort of huge early retirement package and a huge part of the force retired in their 50's? I think this is when the problem started. I don't know if I'm remembering it right either.It was actually a combination of things. There was a huge hiring spree in the early 80s, so we had a glut of 20 year veterans eligible for retirement. When Brown was leaving office, he gave a big raise to the police chief, which boosted his retirement pay. However, because of links to officer retirement pay, it also gave the officers a big incentive to retire, and hundreds did. Many have actually been rehired a second time, allowing them to double dip, so to speak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crunchtastic Posted December 12, 2007 Share Posted December 12, 2007 That's interesting. My BF tried to go to the academy when he got out of the Navy in 86, and again when he finished undergrad in 89, and was turned away. He has complained to this day it was because he was a white male. Could anything like that have been true? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted December 12, 2007 Author Share Posted December 12, 2007 That's interesting. My BF tried to go to the academy when he got out of the Navy in 86, and again when he finished undergrad in 89, and was turned away. He has complained to this day it was because he was a white male. Could anything like that have been true?did he meet qualifications? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crunchtastic Posted December 12, 2007 Share Posted December 12, 2007 as far as I know, yes. Could it have been that classes were already full, only so much budgeted for, etc? That what I would assume. He's just always been cranky about it. Of course now he's too old, but has talked about the reserve constable thing. Some people still have the desire for public service. I've known guys, here and elsewhere, who wanted nothing else but to be firefighters, and always fewer openings than demand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted December 12, 2007 Author Share Posted December 12, 2007 Some people still have the desire for public service. I've known guys, here and elsewhere, who wanted nothing else but to be firefighters, and always fewer openings than demand.my dad was in for over 40 yrs and surprisingly many that you'd think would be good candidates got disqualified for one reason or another. they have have used pot when they were younger and were disqualified as a result. i can think of at least one person that mentioned this to my dad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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