HUMBLE, TX – Congressman Ted Poe
(TX-02) sent a letter of support to the Attorney General of
the United States, Alberto Gonzales to strongly consider including
the City of Houston Police Department in the Initiative for
Safer Communities study. This new study was recently announced
by Attorney General Gonzales at the International Association
of Chiefs of Police to target violent crime prevention efforts
in selected communities across America that have shown unexplained
increases in crime.
According to Houston Police Department’s figures,
since 2005, there has been an increase in the following:
30 percent for murder, 4 percent for rape, 5 percent for
robbery and 2 percent for aggravated assault. Gang related
murder has increased an astounding 90 percent this year.
“During hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the city welcomed
displaced individuals and helped them along the path to
building new lives,” said Poe. “But with the
good came the bad and the city saw an increase in the number
of criminals on the streets. In conjunction with rising
crime rates, HPD is faced with a large illegal immigrant
population that creates an additional financial burden in
policing crimes in the community. The Initiative for Safer
Communities study will allow HPD to identify possible factors
contributing to the increase and the tools to combat crime
in our city.”
Congressman Poe served as a Harris County Criminal Court
Judge for 22 years, presiding over 25,000 cases. He has
been a leading advocate for law enforcement officers and
victims of crime. For more information on Congressman Poe,
please visit his website, www.house.gov/poe.
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