PUT POLICE OFFICERS BACK ON THE BEAT
Police officers on patrol in neighborhoods will get to know and be known in communities. They’ll be plugged into local happenings and accountable to local residents. As Mayor, Peter Brown will review patrol requirements and other police force personnel policies to make sure that they reflect the public safety priorities of the city and its residents.

BUILD RELATIONSHIPS
Keep experienced officers working in the neighborhoods they know in order to build and maintain localized institutional knowledge and the valuable relationships they’ve formed. We should make contact information for the beat officer readily available to residents in their area. Use social networking resources to connect residents and law enforcement.

MORE UNITS FOCUSED ON LESS CRIME
New, specialized Houston Police Department programs like Crime Reduction Units (CRUs) and Investigative First Responders have been very successful. They should play a greater role in the Department, to deal with the very specific crime problems that neighborhoods face, such as gang violence or locations that breed crime like hot-sheet motels and gaming parlors. Investigative First Responders can be particularly effective in solving crimes before the trail goes cold, getting more criminals off the streets with a more efficient approach to policing.

USE TACTICAL RESOURCES MORE STRATEGICALLY
Under Peter Brown’s decentralized policing strategy, public safety resources will be deployed closer to where they are most needed, including anti-gang and drug-enforcement tactical units. As Mayor, Peter Brown will localize trained and specialized personnel like CRUs in substations to effectively deal with crime. By placing these assets closer to emerging problem areas, law enforcement will be able to respond more effectively and maintain a sustained presence, keeping gang and drug problems from taking hold or re-occurring.

PARTNER WITH COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS
Partner with community organizations and neighborhood watch groups where they exist, and encourage their formation where they don’t. Create streamlined reporting systems using social networks and other technologies to make these groups more effective. Expand programs like Citizens Operating Police Support (C.O.P.S.) to make residents more effective partners. By creating avenues for residents to invest in the security of their communities, we can keep Houston safer together.

ACCOUNTABLE POLICING
Residents deserve to know what sort of results they’re getting from the City. As Mayor, Peter Brown will develop a comprehensive accountability system, tracking response times, complaints, and other policing metrics such as clearance rates, and making that data easily accessible. He’ll also create a modern, Google-style, searchable interface that uses GIS (Geographic Information System) mapping overlays to keep track of public safety performance. This won’t only improve accountability, it will help us understand what’s working – and what isn’t.

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INVEST IN OUR REAL-TIME CRIME CENTER
We need to continue to expand and support the Real-Time Crime Center, which provides critical information to officers responding to crimes, and helps formulate crime-fighting strategies based on the patterns of criminal behavior. We can better use the center’s resources and proven crime fighting strategies to predict patterns of crime and get ahead of the criminals, making it easier to track them down and get them off of the streets.

USE THE BEST TECHNOLOGY
Houston has invested in state of the art crime-fighting tools like an expanded helicopter force, and we need to make sure that the our police agencies always have access to the best technologies and strategies available. In the future, we need to stop following the lead of other cities when it comes to fighting crime. Instead, let’s make Houston a leader.

COORDINATE POLICING STRATEGIES
Coordinate policing strategies with other jurisdictions to make the best possible use of expertise and resources, and avoid any wasteful duplication of policing efforts. Multiple departments can work together to tackle larger problems such as organized crime, terrorism, and human trafficking, reducing the cost of effective policing.

REDUCE REDUNDANCIES
Personnel costs account for far and away the greatest portion of the city budget. In order to achieve meaningful savings and long-term budget stability, these costs must be accounted for. We need to ensure the long-term viability of our pension obligations by working with employees to expand retirement benefit options, which can help ease cost burdens while better serving the needs of employees. Because health care costs account for such a significant and growing portion of the City’s long term obligations, we need to find strategies to deal with those costs, such as creating pension-type trusts where both the City and the employees make contributions to pay for retiree health benefits.

STREAMLINE COMMUNICATION
Create, maintain, and streamline channels of communication between agencies across the city, to direct responses where they are needed and can make the biggest difference, and reduce response times. The City has begun moving towards radios compatible with those of other local law enforcement, and more progress needs to made on that front. Whether it’s responding to a hurricane evacuation, a high-speed chase, or a shootout, our law enforcement officers need to be better connected. Every minute counts, and we can’t afford to have critical time wasted navigating jurisdictions and bureaucracy.

COMMUNICATE ON YOUR TERMS
As Mayor, Peter Brown will work to improve communication between the police and residents with the effective use of social media like Twitter and Facebook. He’ll take advantage of the propagation of cell phone cameras and smart-phones, with integrated applications and a web platform that allows for streamlined reporting. And he’ll create a text alert program, to send crime alert information to residents who subscribe.

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MORE AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS
Engaging young people after school will help stop them from getting in trouble or involved in situations that lead to crime or drug and alcohol abuse. The After School Achievement Program (ASAP) has proven successful and should serve as a model for further efforts. Evidence indicates that keeping students engaged as early as middle school and even elementary school is critical to keep them from getting involved in illegal activities. As Mayor, Peter Brown will work with school districts and local businesses and organizations, seeking out other partnerships to encourage participation in these important programs, and to increase their availability.

PREVENTING GANG VIOLENCE AND JUVENILE CRIME
Existing anti-gang education efforts should be coordinated with other elements of crime prevention programs. Vocational and skills training programs for high school students should be tied to this and other afterschool programs to provide real, viable alternatives. And the anti-gang unit should play a bigger role with expanded programs targeting truancy among high school students. Harris County has launched a very successful program, which our efforts should seek to imitate and complement.

BREAKING THE CYCLE OF CRIME
As Mayor, Peter Brown will embrace smart, tried and true measures that improve public safety by preventing former convicts from returning to a life of crime. We should coordinate, facilitate and support new partnerships between the City, local businesses, and community groups to help support those re-entering society. Employment is the strongest predictor of whether former prisoners will return to prison and outreach is critical to breaking the cycle of repeat offenders that plague our community.

BUILD A SAFER HOUSTON
As an architect and urban planner, Peter Brown understands the importance the urban environment plays in public safety. Poorly designed public areas breed crime and make it more difficult for law enforcement to effectively police neighborhoods and communities. Crime Prevention Through Environment Design (CPTED) has been able to reduce crime in some communities by as much as 40%. In particular, the City’s Blue Star program has proven effective, and we should expand the use of this innovative thinking and partner with more private property owners to improve public safety. The City should also use the resources it is developing on the issue to help make forthcoming development safer. As Mayor, Peter Brown will work to ensure that future growth in Houston protects residents and promotes public safety.

ADDRESS ROOT CAUSES OF CRIME
Small nuisances, like vandalism and run-down dwellings, often lead to bigger crimes and dangerous neighborhoods. Violence breeds violence and we need a zero-tolerance policy for the conditions that breed crime. As Mayor, Peter Brown will continue his efforts to clean up neighborhoods, strengthen communities, and prevent crime from taking root.

USE COMMUNITY RESOURCES FOR SAFETY
Existing programs such as Ministers Against Crime and the Policy and Clergy Team (PACT) represent significant efforts to bring together the community and police department, fostering relationships of trust and leveraging community resources and respected leaders to keep our city safe and prevent crime among young people. The City, police department, and other partners should better integrate these groups and their unique resources into other expanded efforts to prevent crime and provide afterschool alternatives for young people.

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