TELEMASP Bulletin, Volume 1, Number 9, December 1994 Page: FRONT COVER
12 p. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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TEXAS LAW ENFORCEMENT MANAGEMENT AND
ADMINISTRATIVE STATISTICS PROGRAM utsDecember 1994
Vol. 1, No. 9
Crime Specific Policing in Houston
Current Houston Mayor Bob Lanier ran against the former
incumbent on a strong law and order platform. During the
campaign the key plank in his platform became more 'cops
on the beat'. While a candidate, Lanier promised an addi-
tional police officer for every square mile in the Houston city
limits-the 655 square miles providing a significant but
* attainable benchmark to measure enhanced police presence.
The goal became tagged the '655 Program' (pronounced six
five five, not six hundred fifty-five), and the term has stuck.
After election Lanier kept his promise of more officers by
implementing a structured overtime program to immedi-
ately place 655 FTE new officers on the streets, while
gearing up the Academy to train new recruits. Moreover, a
dramatic change in policing style occurred with the employ-
ment of Sam Nuchia as the new chief. Previous efforts to
establish Houston as the showcase of community policing
wereabandonedinfavorofcrimespecificpolicing. Proactive
patrol and investigative methods resulted in substantial
increases in arrests. Crime dropped dramatically. Clearly a
challenge to the tenets of community policing, the current
policing style in Houston has drawn international attention.
Thus what must be understood is that six five five has come
to mean more than increased police staffing. Itis now a code
word for the dramatic change in policing style in Houston,
such that when it is stated that "Since 655, crime in Houston
has dropped dramatically," what one broadly means is
"Since the totality of changes since January 1992, crime has
dropped dramatically" rather than narrowly "Since adding
655 FTE officers..."
* The term "655 Program" has teen imposed by popular
usage. Police Chief Sam Nuchia has assiduously avoided
catch-word encapsulation of policies/strategies. Given the
fact that Neighborhood-Oriented Patrol,redubbed "NobodyPublic Library
on Patrol," became a lightning rod term in the Houston
Police Department, the current avoidance of program no-
menclature is understandable. Many other agencies have
learned as well that clever naming of initiatives or strategies
can backfire, and wisely avoid doing so. But sometimes
there is a price to be paid when critics name a program for
you. That has occurred to some extent in Houston. The'655'
nomenclature is relatively harmless, but it is also not de-
scriptive. Harm has been done by critics who have termed
the Nuchia administration's proactive strategy merely a
'return to t-aditional policing'. The current policing style in
Houston has never before been done in that agency, and a
characterization as traditional policing as that term is under-
stood in law enforcement circles nationally is inappropriate.
It is anything but traditional.
The style is a product of the complex intersecting of a
philosophy, several strategies, and a multiplicity of pro-
grams. Although one always risks distortion with simplifi-
cation, the basic tenets are as follows:
Philosophy. Police agencies can impact the level of crime
and disorder in a community. The police d4 make a differ-
ence. Saying that crime and disorder are a product of social
and economic forces the police cannot and should not affect,
is rejected. Concomitantly, policing should be crime fo-
cused. The broad police mission remains peace keeping or
order maintenance, but crime is recognized as the central
focus of efforts. Wholesale neighborhood restructuring, as
well as generic community quality of life issues, are re-
garded as outside the police mission.
Endemic Strategies. A crime focused macro strategy
subsumes several 'embedded', long-term, micro strategies.
These endemic strategies include proactive, aggressive pa-
trol, proactive and crime specific investigative efforts, andBill Blackwood Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas
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Hoover, Larry T. TELEMASP Bulletin, Volume 1, Number 9, December 1994, periodical, December 1994; Huntsville, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1624790/m1/1/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.