HPD crime prevention effort aims to address violent crime in 6 Houston ‘hot spots’

HOUSTON – Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner announced a Houston Police Department Crime Prevention Initiative Monday that aims to address rising crime in the area by increasing police patrols in what Turner called six area “hot spots.”

Turner said the city is using $4.1 million of CARES Act funding for city policing in six areas that he said are driving violent crime numbers. In a series of tweets Monday, Turner named these areas: Westside, South Gessner, North Belt, Southeast, South Central, and Midwest.

“Beginning today, through the end of the year, there will be an additional 110 officers  deployed each day to saturate those areas with the objective of reducing crime,” the mayor tweeted.

In a news conference, HPD Chief Art Acevedo said the focus will be on those areas but it will not take HPD’s eye off the entirety of Houston and violent crime throughout the city.

“Violent criminals are mobile,” he said. “They may be operating in southeast today, and while we’re trying to impact them they might be going to another part of town to victimize Houstonians. This initiative will really help the entire city not just those six hot spots.”

Watch the full KPRC 2 live stream of the event in the video player below.