THURSDAY, SEPT. 12: Organized and violent crime
HOUSTON – You see it on the news all the time: Crazy crimes from across Houston that are sometimes hard to fathom. I often ask myself while covering different stories why Houston and why such violent, unpredictable crimes.
According to the experts at the FBI, many things play into it including the city’s sprawling size, a large population for criminals to hide in, the ease of moving around, and a plethora of nightclubs and bars where it’s easy to traffic sex or drugs.
Tonight’s class focused on violent, organized crime, including gangs and cartels.
The Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua or TdA, was a big focus of the presentation from law enforcement.
We learned TdA does have a presence in Houston. Gang members affiliated with TdA are known for being involved in violent crimes such as sex trafficking, human smuggling, weapons and narcotic trafficking, and more.
We weren’t told how many people in the Houston area are currently believed to be connected to TdA.
Special agents told us they have to learn a code language when tracking potential criminal activity, because gang members will use certain phrases or emojis on social media which could be a clear indicator of gang affiliation.
In terms of cartels, a special agent told us the Jalisco New Generation and Sinaloa Cartel are two of the most active in Houston.
In April, there were some big Houston headlines involving the Jalisco New Generation cartel, including 41 people indicted in a drug trafficking case connected to the group, and a Harris County Sheriff’s Office chop shop bust that investigators believed had ties to the cartel.
Beyond gangs and cartels, we also learned about that time that Houston led the nation in armored truck robberies.
From 2017 to 2019, Houston accounted for 25 percent of the country’s armored car robberies in the country. I wish I could show you all of the surveillance videos and evidence that was presented to us from that investigation, but it was very eye opening.
One aspect of piecing together a crew of the armored car robbers involved Flock license plate readers, which an HPD sergeant, who is a task force officer that works with the FBI, said in his 18-year career have been the biggest advancement.
We know license plate readers have been helpful in cases all the time in our area, including in the story I just covered this week on missing Missouri City mother Karen Miles.
Next week is class picture day, so for my classmates’ family members who are reading the blog, remind them to wear their Sunday best.
THURSDAY, SEPT. 5: First class
I won’t be earning the award for perfect attendance after getting out of the station later than expected and running into rainy rush hour traffic on day 1!
But I made it in time for introductions and got to meet classmates from different backgrounds in the community, from banking to real estate to local school districts and business owners.
Today’s session focused on an overview of the FBI and operations in Houston. There’s a lot that I learned, including that there are 280 federal violations investigated by the FBI and that investigators are not sitting on a computer monitoring everything on the internet as some may think.
A lot of that work still depends on tips from the community being reported before special agents will look at specific sites or social media pages.
Counterterrorism and counterintelligence is an important part of what the nearly 300 special agents in the Houston field office do as part of the FBI’s mission. Because of the Texas Medical Center, NASA and other space companies, consulates, and the energy sector, all in the Houston area, we learned counterintelligence is especially vital here.
We discussed how Houston is seeing younger actors committing more violent crimes (remember the ‘little rascals’?) and while it’s a multifaceted community problem, there’s not much the feds can do because juveniles can’t be prosecuted in the federal system by law.
“None of us need to fight for work,” FBI Houston’s Special Agent in Charge Douglas Williams told the academy, when speaking of crime in Houston and the partnerships with other law enforcement agencies, like the Houston Police Department or Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
We also got a presentation on the Department of Justice’s policy when it comes to the use of deadly force and some of the split-second decisions that have to be made by law enforcement officers.
There’s a lot to come including an activity that piqued my interest: acting as “ghosts” in a simulation with the class, which is a lesson on some of the specialized surveillance agents do as part of investigations.
More next week...
ABOUT THE ACADEMY - Published Sept. 5, 2024
For the next seven weeks, Thursday nights will look a lot different. Usually I’m working on stories for the 10 p.m. news but instead I’ll be taking my pen and paper to FBI Houston’s Citizens Academy with other community members to start learning all about federal criminal investigations.
I’ve always had an interest in the criminal justice system - and took criminology and criminal justice courses in college - so I really can’t wait for this up close and personal look at how federal agents work through cases.
It’s part of the 2024 Citizens Academy, which I’ve been told will be Houston’s biggest class yet. We all got nominated for the opportunity which takes place once a year.
During the course, we’ll hear from active FBI agents and intelligence analysts. We’re supposed to talk about real life cases, go to the FBI’s shooting range, and experience a bomb and SWAT demonstration.
“There’s a lot of FBI shows that are out there nowadays. I don’t really watch any of them, but I have seen bits and pieces and a lot of it is Hollywood, right?” FBI Houston Special Agent in Charge Doug Williams told me during a recent sit down interview. “Well, that really isn’t the reality of of how things work. So I think that’s the real magic in the Citizens Academy presentations is that people get to see the real behind the scenes.”
Some of the topics I’m told we’ll discuss: counterterrorism, counterintelligence, and public corruption, civil rights, and violent crime cases.
“We’re not sharing secrets, per se, but you know, what we’re going to talk about is somewhat sensitive,” Williams said.
We plan to bring our viewers along for the process and share parts of what I’m learning each week, whether it’s through this blog, on the KPRC 2+ Livestream, or in stories that you may see on KPRC 2 News.
Everyone had to go through a strict vetting process that included background checks and fingerprints.
As part of the requirements, we can’t take any electronics inside the FBI’s offices, including cell phones or smart watches. I’ll admit, I’m already twitching about being detached from my phones for three hours every Thursday.
The first class is tonight!
I’d love to hear from you throughout the journey with any questions or advice.
I’ll be checking the comments on this article or you can send me a Facebook message.