Dec. 22, 2005, 7:21AM
Face of homicides changing, HPD says
Killings up 23%; chief is reluctant to blame evacuees
By MÓNICA GUZMÁN and CYNTHIA LEONOR GARZA
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
An upward swing in the city's homicide rate — up by nearly a quarter from last year — isn't the only thing concerning Houston police. Officers say they are seeing more stranger-on-stranger crime, a resurgence of gang activity and more violence around apartment complexes, especially those swelled with an influx of Katrina evacuees.
Though officials acknowledged that at least eight of the homicides involved hurricane evacuees, Houston Police Department Chief Harold Hurtt said Wednesday that it was incorrect to assume that "the reason that crime is up in the last quarter of this year is evacuees from Louisiana. A lot of this is contributed to homegrown citizens."
To date, 324 homicides have been reported this year, unofficially, compared with 263 in the same period in 2004, he said. That's up more than 23 percent.
Most of the spike has come since mid-November, when 14 homicides were reported during the four-day Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Police and city officials, who said they already had been aware of an increase in crime since earlier this year, then launched a series of initiatives intended to increase police presence in high-crime areas.
Late last month and under pressure from city officials concerned about police manpower, Hurtt instituted a $4 million overtime program designed to free up officers for patrol duty.
And last week, the chief announced an initiative to "dramatically" increase patrols in five of the most crime-ridden local apartment complexes.
Overall crime is down
Though violent crime is up 2.3 percent through November of this year compared with the same period last year, HPD officials said overall crime is down 2.2 percent.
In recent months, violent crimes appear to be on a dramatic rise, and police say, is undergoing some disturbing changes.
Fifty-one homicides were reported in November and December — a 70 percent increase from the same period last year, Hurtt said.
Hurtt also said he has seen a "tremendous change" in how killers and victims are acquainted. Twenty to 25 years ago, most killings involved friends or family members, but that is no longer the case — and it's making murders harder to solve, he said.
"One of the things that is making it so difficult for our homicide investigators is that a lot of these homicides are stranger on stranger," Hurtt said.
Recent killings most commonly start as disturbances that turn deadly, Hurtt said. Other motives include robbery, family violence, gang activity and narcotics.
Eight slayings have involved hurricane evacuees as suspects, victims or both, officials said.
"You're bringing people with different cultures, different backgrounds; they have different lifestyles there in New Orleans than we have in Houston," said Capt. Dale Brown of the homicide division. "The equilibrium was thrown out of whack, with people competing for jobs, competing for turf, or whatever it is."
Brown would not comment on what impact the influx of Katrina evacuees — many of whom swelled the populations of a number of low-income apartment complexes in September — have had on the homicide spike. He did suggest, however, that any sudden increase in population is typically accompanied by a rise in crime.
But the evacuee-related homicides "don't explain the majority of homicides," said Elizabeth McConnell, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Criminal Justice at the University of Houston. "It's had some impact on the homicide rates, but it is not the only thing."
The holiday season usually brings with it an increase in both homicides and suicides, and not just in Houston, McConnell said. "When you increase the overall population in the area, one would expect to see an overall increase in crime," too, she said.
Increased gang activity
Capt. Brown said a number of recent homicides have been pinned on the increased activity of one local gang, and a gang murder squad within the division will more closely target gang crimes.
"The face of murder in Houston over the last year or so has changed somewhat and we're seeing more groups of individuals involved in violent crimes," Brown said.
Seven members of the Houston based La Tercera Crips gang were arrested and charged Friday in connection with various violent crimes committed during the last year, including 10 slayings — four of them in the last two months.
"They're rapidly getting more and more dangerous ... and more and more bold," said Sgt. Brian Harris of the homicide division.
Homegrown gang activity is not the only concern.
Hurtt said that after talking with state and regional officials, he is "pretty certain that (Louisiana) gang members did relocate here to Houston."
Capt. Brown said the department is still gathering intelligence on what role, if any, Louisiana gangs may have played in recent homicides.
"Is it possible and probable that there were gang members involved in some of those, I think the answer's yes," he said. "We're just not prepared to say it's a Louisiana problem at this time."
Hurtt said the department is "making headway" in gathering intelligence about Louisiana gang members in the city, despite difficulties obtaining information from a database of known gang members from Louisiana authorities, whose records were damaged by the hurricane.
monica.guzman@chron.com cynthia.garza@chron.com
Face of homicides changing, HPD says
Killings up 23%; chief is reluctant to blame evacuees
By MÓNICA GUZMÁN and CYNTHIA LEONOR GARZA
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
An upward swing in the city's homicide rate — up by nearly a quarter from last year — isn't the only thing concerning Houston police. Officers say they are seeing more stranger-on-stranger crime, a resurgence of gang activity and more violence around apartment complexes, especially those swelled with an influx of Katrina evacuees.
Though officials acknowledged that at least eight of the homicides involved hurricane evacuees, Houston Police Department Chief Harold Hurtt said Wednesday that it was incorrect to assume that "the reason that crime is up in the last quarter of this year is evacuees from Louisiana. A lot of this is contributed to homegrown citizens."
To date, 324 homicides have been reported this year, unofficially, compared with 263 in the same period in 2004, he said. That's up more than 23 percent.
Most of the spike has come since mid-November, when 14 homicides were reported during the four-day Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Police and city officials, who said they already had been aware of an increase in crime since earlier this year, then launched a series of initiatives intended to increase police presence in high-crime areas.
Late last month and under pressure from city officials concerned about police manpower, Hurtt instituted a $4 million overtime program designed to free up officers for patrol duty.
And last week, the chief announced an initiative to "dramatically" increase patrols in five of the most crime-ridden local apartment complexes.
Overall crime is down
Though violent crime is up 2.3 percent through November of this year compared with the same period last year, HPD officials said overall crime is down 2.2 percent.
In recent months, violent crimes appear to be on a dramatic rise, and police say, is undergoing some disturbing changes.
Fifty-one homicides were reported in November and December — a 70 percent increase from the same period last year, Hurtt said.
Hurtt also said he has seen a "tremendous change" in how killers and victims are acquainted. Twenty to 25 years ago, most killings involved friends or family members, but that is no longer the case — and it's making murders harder to solve, he said.
"One of the things that is making it so difficult for our homicide investigators is that a lot of these homicides are stranger on stranger," Hurtt said.
Recent killings most commonly start as disturbances that turn deadly, Hurtt said. Other motives include robbery, family violence, gang activity and narcotics.
Eight slayings have involved hurricane evacuees as suspects, victims or both, officials said.
"You're bringing people with different cultures, different backgrounds; they have different lifestyles there in New Orleans than we have in Houston," said Capt. Dale Brown of the homicide division. "The equilibrium was thrown out of whack, with people competing for jobs, competing for turf, or whatever it is."
Brown would not comment on what impact the influx of Katrina evacuees — many of whom swelled the populations of a number of low-income apartment complexes in September — have had on the homicide spike. He did suggest, however, that any sudden increase in population is typically accompanied by a rise in crime.
But the evacuee-related homicides "don't explain the majority of homicides," said Elizabeth McConnell, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Criminal Justice at the University of Houston. "It's had some impact on the homicide rates, but it is not the only thing."
The holiday season usually brings with it an increase in both homicides and suicides, and not just in Houston, McConnell said. "When you increase the overall population in the area, one would expect to see an overall increase in crime," too, she said.
Increased gang activity
Capt. Brown said a number of recent homicides have been pinned on the increased activity of one local gang, and a gang murder squad within the division will more closely target gang crimes.
"The face of murder in Houston over the last year or so has changed somewhat and we're seeing more groups of individuals involved in violent crimes," Brown said.
Seven members of the Houston based La Tercera Crips gang were arrested and charged Friday in connection with various violent crimes committed during the last year, including 10 slayings — four of them in the last two months.
"They're rapidly getting more and more dangerous ... and more and more bold," said Sgt. Brian Harris of the homicide division.
Homegrown gang activity is not the only concern.
Hurtt said that after talking with state and regional officials, he is "pretty certain that (Louisiana) gang members did relocate here to Houston."
Capt. Brown said the department is still gathering intelligence on what role, if any, Louisiana gangs may have played in recent homicides.
"Is it possible and probable that there were gang members involved in some of those, I think the answer's yes," he said. "We're just not prepared to say it's a Louisiana problem at this time."
Hurtt said the department is "making headway" in gathering intelligence about Louisiana gang members in the city, despite difficulties obtaining information from a database of known gang members from Louisiana authorities, whose records were damaged by the hurricane.
monica.guzman@chron.com cynthia.garza@chron.com