WILL NEIGHBORHOOD PROTECTION BE RELEASED FROM POLICE CUSTODY? Mayor Parker wants the city’s Neighborhood Protection division — responsible for policing dangerous buildings, illegal dumping, and runaway weed farms — moved out of the Houston Police Department. She tells abc13’s Andy Cerota she wants the enforcement group set up with “its own identity”: “The Houston police officers handling code enforcement violations would no longer be permanently assigned there. They would, instead, be moved elsewhere. . . . ‘This is not about saving money. It’s not about reducing overtime for the police department. It is about making sure the civilian side of the neighborhood protection division is unleashed to be doing what it should be doing out in the neighborhoods,’ Parker said.” [abc13]
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NP was moved into HPD from the planning department (late 2004 I think) precisely because police seemed to be a lot more effective at issuing citations and enforcing the nuisance ordinances which is what NP does. Most of the inspections were still completed by NP after the move but with the HPD officers providing back-up, enforcement was more effective in my opinion. Perhaps this is being done because the HPD Asst. Chiefs who were assigned to NP in their rotations seemed to look down on the job as it was not ‘patrol’ based and they had few direct HPD officer reports. Dumb move.
All I know is that the eyesore on my street is coming down TODAY after years of watching it deteriorate. Whoever is responsible, YEHA!!!
And let it be known that this eyesore was only a shell built a few years ago and never finished on the interior. It is not and was not ever a Heights gem like many of the demolitions in the area.
“It’s not about reducing overtime for the police department. It is about making sure the civilian side of the neighborhood protection division is unleashed to be doing what it should be doing out in the neighborhoods,’ Parker said.— [abc13]
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The civilian inspectors have always been able to issue warnings and citations but rarely do including the citations for retaliation to landlords who refuse rent and then file wrongful evictions against tenants who contacted Neighborhood Protection about legitimate violations. And anyone who’s ever contacted Neighborhood Protection should get a copy of the report that’s turned in. Half the time the report makes it appear there were no violations. Despite the mold, the ceilings caving in, the backed up toilets and the various other reasons why tenants call the city.
And it’s not much better when neighbors call the city about the crack house.
You will probably see most of the apartment complexes Inside the Loop warned, cited, and then condemned while everything Outside the Loop will be ignored.
With the new “protected historic district” ordinance about to put a halt to the developers “redeveloping” neighborhoods by tearing down one house and putting up four, well, the mayor has to offer them something. So why not the apartment complexes? Condemned properties are cheap and you can put lots of townhouses, architecurally correct per the new ordinance, up with no problem.
The mayor thinks everyone is stupid. Not everyone. Just most.
There was a home in our neighborhood that the owner just let decay. It took 12 years to become completely unlivable.
Neighbors would call NP and when the inspector would come out, there would always be a police car following the inspector’s SUV. When asked why, the police officer said he was there to protect the neighborhood protection inspector in case a property owner got irate. So now, if Ms Mayor takes away the police protection, who is gonna be packin’ heat? You know, in case a property owner gets irate…..
From PYEWACKET2:
There was a home in our neighborhood that the owner just let decay. It took 12 years to become completely unlivable.
Neighbors would call NP and when the inspector would come out, there would always be a police car following the inspector’s SUV. When asked why, the police officer said he was there to protect the neighborhood protection inspector in case a property owner got irate. So now, if Ms Mayor takes away the police protection, who is gonna be packin’ heat? You know, in case a property owner gets irate…..
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The thought of some of the civilian inspectors “packing heat” is quite scary. One in particular who forgot to put film in the camera. Well, that’s what they told me they suspected happened.
12 years. My, my. And how long did it take to warn, cite, condemn and then demolish Wilshire Village?