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It looks like the City of Houston's investments in safety are finally starting to pay off. According to data from the police department, response times for priority 3 through 5 calls are around 8% faster than they were back in 2024.
One of the primary reasons for response times dropping is likely the push for increased recruiting efforts led by Mayor John Whitmire, and the efforts by HPD Chief Noe Diaz to reorganize the department.
HPOU Executive Director Ray Hunt told KTRH, "This chief has moved a lot of folks out into patrol, his goal is to put as many people in patrol as possible, as you see more boots on the ground, response times are gonna go down."
Unfortunately, HPD data indicates that there is still some progress to be made on priority 1 and 2 calls. Response times for priority 1 and 2 calls are still slightly higher than they were in 2024. Hunt says improving on that is their top priority.
He believes that that improvement will come with more recruits, which are expected to start pouring into the city shortly. He said, "We're doing those recruiting drives now. I believe with our pay that's going up, and the changes that took place in the legislature regarding our retirements, all these things are going to encourage people to come here to Houston, and we want that to happen."