Houston Police Union Leaders Raise Concerns about Critical Shortage of Officers

Houston police union leaders have warned that the city’s safety is at risk due to criminal suspects being released on bond while there is a shortage of police officers.

In a recent interview, Houston Police Officers’ Union executive director Ray Hunt told Fox News, “I have never seen this many suspected murderers and capital murderers walking the streets of Houston on multiple bonds in my lifetime as a lifelong Houstonian.”

“I would not feel comfortable allowing my wife or kids to walk down the streets of Houston at midnight under any circumstances,” he added. “It is not safe in major cities in 2024, and it’s not safe here.”

Data from the Houston police department indicates that in January, there were 5,187 officers, which translates to 2.2 officers for every 1,000 residents, as reported by ABC News.

“We are currently facing a perfect storm,” union president Douglas Griffith told Fox. “Following the George Floyd incident, we are struggling to hire and retain officers, and people are leaving in large numbers.”

Hunt expressed his concern saying, “Who would want to become a police officer in 2024 when every decision they make will be scrutinized… I could not recommend any of my family to join the force under the current circumstances.”

Griffith mentioned that the Houston City Council was informed about the shortage of officers a decade ago, following a report from Sam Houston State University that highlighted the alarming deficiency of officers in the city.

Hunt referenced the report, stating that in 2014, “if Houston was staffed like Chicago, we would have 9,602 sworn officers. At that time, we had around 5,600, which was 4,000 short. Now, we have just over 5,000 officers, and we have already lost more since then.”

“A survey conducted in 2013 among investigative division commanders showed a significant number of cases with leads that were left uninvestigated due to lack of personnel,” Hunt emphasized, debunking claims of laziness among officers. “It was well-known that we were understaffed, and now everyone is quick to criticize the officers for not doing their job, which is completely untrue.”

Griffith blamed the court system for not fulfilling its responsibilities, stating, “Their stance is that we must grant bond to everyone the first time. However, once they violate that bond, they can be held in jail until their next court appearance.”

“We have individuals with multiple bonds, ranging from six to nine at a time, and this is a serious issue that needs to be addressed in the courts and the DA’s office to ensure that repeat offenders are not free to commit further crimes,” Griffith explained.