HOUSTON – The Houston Independent School District Police Department announced a new tool that will help increase safety, accountability and transparency within its community.
HISD students, families and stakeholders can now report threats or criminal activities on district school campuses with the Axon Citizen for Communities portal.
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The portal will be an online tool where people can upload videos, pictures, or documents for review. It will also be easily accessible through the department’s web page.
The department’s goal for the tool is to bridge the gap between citizens and police by creating a new avenue for community members to assist the department directly, according to a release.
“We have always said that safety is a collaborative effort, and we want to make the collaboration easier,” said HISD Police Chief Pedro Lopez. “This will be another tool to build trust and allow us to work with our community to ensure our students stay safe in a way that is transparent.”
How to use
- Visitors would click “Submit Evidence” at the bottom of the page
- Enter their information, click “Send Link” and a private link will be sent to their email taking them to the website where evidence files may be uploaded.
- After uploading is complete, site visitors should click “Submit” to receive the email. The private link for submissions expires after three days.
Citizens must provide the HISD Police Department with their contact information, including their name, birth date, address, and phone number. The HISD Police Department may use the information for a variety of purposes, such as contacting the reporting citizen to answer any follow-up questions about the submission, or to establish the veracity of the submission, according to a release. Any item they provide will remain property of HISD.
Community members are also encouraged to continue utilizing alternative reporting tools such as the Sandy Hook See Something Say Something application or calling the HISD PD 24-hour hotline at 713-892-7777.