John Whitmire has now completed his first year as the mayor of Houston. So, how has he done in making good on his promise to make the City of Houston safer? The numbers suggest there has been some improvement, but there's still work to be done.
According to Doug Griffith with the Houston Police Officers' Union, we are getting on the right track. He said, "I believe we have seen improvements in violent crime, but we still have a large issue with property crimes, particularly burglaries."
Griffith also noted that Whitmire's efforts to work more closely with other law enforcement agencies around the Houston area have really helped reduce crime. He told KTRH, "There are 37 smaller agencies within the city limits of Houston. This is one of the first times when everybody gets on the same page and says, 'Hey, we're stronger if we all work together.'"
Whitmire has also been able to make progress on his promise to give HPD officers a raise. Thanks to his efforts, HPD cadets who have completed their probationary period will now be making $62,574 a year, up from just $42,000.
Griffith says he's hopeful that this number will continue to rise, with Whitmire set to negotiate a new contract with the union. Griffith said, "He [Whitmire] has promised to work with us on a new contract, which we'll begin negotiations on this year. He wants to make us comparable to Austin, Fort Worth, and Dallas. So hopefully we can get there."
Griffith believes that a new, higher-paying contract will lead to better HPD morale and help the department maintain personnel.