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Old 11-30-2009, 07:14 PM
 
Location: Katy,TX.
4,244 posts, read 8,762,489 times
Reputation: 4014

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I keep hearing more and more about how law enforcement is short-staffed. The part that really bothers me is that I continue to see HPD, Harris/Ft Bend Co Sheriffs and Constables providing extra patrol service for an additional fee, i.e., Cinco Ranch HOA pays extra to have Ft Bend Cty Sheriff providing extra patrol within the community. Being from CA, this is almost a taboo in having a city/civil servant service the community as such. Our tax dollars pays their salaries, uniforms/equipments, benefits, etc. Why in the hell do we have to pay extra money for extra patrol? Not to mention, these officers, are using the same state/city issued uniforms, patrol cars, badge and equipment to service a private sector service?! This is a freaking racketeer. What's wrong with this picture? Am I the only one noticing this?! People need to wise up and start demanding answers from our policitians as far as why this is being allowed. What gives?

I'm all for our officers making money on the side but it should not be done with city/state provided supplies. I would like to hear some of your thoughts on this issue and why nothing has been done to address this problem.
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Old 11-30-2009, 07:26 PM
 
Location: ✶✶✶✶
15,216 posts, read 30,563,119 times
Reputation: 10851
Would you rather them not be able to provide a little extra security because they'd have to buy their own gear? There's limited financial incentive to be in law enforcement in the first place.
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Old 11-30-2009, 07:32 PM
 
Location: Houston, Texas
1,668 posts, read 4,707,915 times
Reputation: 3037
I really hate it when I'm driving on a public road & an officer jumps out into the street to stop traffic because he was hired by a private orginization/church/company to help ease cars out of their parking lot. Very irritating indeed. Rent-A-Cop is alive & well in Houston!
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Old 11-30-2009, 07:35 PM
 
Location: Katy,TX.
4,244 posts, read 8,762,489 times
Reputation: 4014
Quote:
Originally Posted by jfre81 View Post
Would you rather them not be able to provide a little extra security because they'd have to buy their own gear? There's limited financial incentive to be in law enforcement in the first place.
What I would rather see is a pay increase on par with most major cities, aggressive recruiting and HPD needs to drop that two years of college degree requirement so we could have a bigger net of potential candidates. We need more officers out on the streets working their primary jobs plain and simple. Everyone on this board likes to claim Houston as a major int'l city. Well, it's about to time to act like one. It's unfortunate that many like to point out the goods, ignore the bads and never seem to want changes or improvements. Our law enforcements sucks for a city with so much potential.


I like to add that I've asked my brother and many of his co-workers plenty of times about leaving SDPD and coming to Houston. It never seem to amaze me the look on their face when talking about the wages for law enforcements in Houston, I cant say that I blame them, it's literally like a 50% Pay cut lol

Last edited by usc619; 11-30-2009 at 08:37 PM..
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Old 11-30-2009, 07:46 PM
 
Location: Houston, TX
8,895 posts, read 20,002,567 times
Reputation: 6372
The city doesn't want to pay overtime so the individual areas pool funds to cover their own areas - to those who can afford to do that - more power to 'em.
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Old 11-30-2009, 07:46 PM
 
1,474 posts, read 4,997,680 times
Reputation: 557
somebody post that webpage that shows the annual salaries of cops here. thanks to overtime and side jobs these guys make a good living. for a while there I hated my career in technology LOL
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Old 11-30-2009, 07:48 PM
 
1,474 posts, read 4,997,680 times
Reputation: 557
Quote:
Originally Posted by texas7 View Post
The city doesn't want to pay overtime so the individual areas pool funds to cover their own areas - to those who can afford to do that - more power to 'em.
the cops got our backs in Alief in terms of HOA money
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Old 11-30-2009, 09:02 PM
 
Location: Fondren SW Yo
2,783 posts, read 6,676,857 times
Reputation: 2225
Quote:
Originally Posted by usc619 View Post
I keep hearing more and more about how law enforcement is short-staffed. The part that really bothers me is that I continue to see HPD, Harris/Ft Bend Co Sheriffs and Constables providing extra patrol service for an additional fee, i.e., Cinco Ranch HOA pays extra to have Ft Bend Cty Sheriff providing extra patrol within the community. Being from CA, this is almost a taboo in having a city/civil servant service the community as such. Our tax dollars pays their salaries, uniforms/equipments, benefits, etc. Why in the hell do we have to pay extra money for extra patrol? Not to mention, these officers, are using the same state/city issued uniforms, patrol cars, badge and equipment to service a private sector service?! This is a freaking racketeer. What's wrong with this picture? Am I the only one noticing this?! People need to wise up and start demanding answers from our policitians as far as why this is being allowed. What gives?

I'm all for our officers making money on the side but it should not be done with city/state provided supplies. I would like to hear some of your thoughts on this issue and why nothing has been done to address this problem.
I have no problem with my HOA/POA dues going to pay for extra Constable or HPD patrols and had I the opportunity to do so when I lived in California I would have done so.

As it stands, the police are so stretched thin during their normal patrol that they can't be as visible as they should. So if a group of citizens within a given geographical area wants to pool their resources for more patrolling than more power to them.

The key here is that you do not have to pay for this service if you do not want it. And that it exists does not lower the level of service you receive or would receive if the cops were not able to moonlight. You are wrong when you call it a racket or a problem.

The short staffing problem is a factor of publicly collected tax money being wasted on garbage programs along with a healthy serving of graft instead of going where it should - hiring more officers, training them better and giving them better equipment.
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Old 11-30-2009, 09:06 PM
 
Location: Fondren SW Yo
2,783 posts, read 6,676,857 times
Reputation: 2225
Quote:
Originally Posted by usc619 View Post
What I would rather see is a pay increase on par with most major cities, aggressive recruiting and HPD needs to drop that two years of college degree requirement so we could have a bigger net of potential candidates. We need more officers out on the streets working their primary jobs plain and simple. Everyone on this board likes to claim Houston as a major int'l city. Well, it's about to time to act like one. It's unfortunate that many like to point out the goods, ignore the bads and never seem to want changes or improvements. Our law enforcements sucks for a city with so much potential.


I like to add that I've asked my brother and many of his co-workers plenty of times about leaving SDPD and coming to Houston. It never seem to amaze me the look on their face when talking about the wages for law enforcements in Houston, I cant say that I blame them, it's literally like a 50% Pay cut lol
Houston has a higher officer to citizen ration than San Diego.

http://www.policepay.net/vallejo/swornofficers.htm (broken link)
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Old 11-30-2009, 09:25 PM
 
Location: Katy, TX
1,288 posts, read 4,938,024 times
Reputation: 631
I honestly don't know too much about what law enforcement is paid and whether our HOA pays extra for extra patrols. What I DO know, is that I feel safe, and I see more cops patroling my neighborhood than I could ever have imagined. They are everywhere, in some ways it's annoying because I have to pay close attention to my driving So as far as I'm concerned...it's worth it.

And I can't believe you are actually comparing salaries between San Diego and here??? It's like a 50% cost of living drop to live here verses SD!
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