Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
All right, we do continue now. Bob frans in for
Jimmy Barrett. We want to bring Doug Griffith under the program,
President of the Houston Police Officers Union. It's been quite
the scandal. Two hundred and sixty four thousand Houston cases
were suspended over lack of personnel. That review is coming
to a close. So far, one hundred and seventy five
felony charges have been brought as a result of all
(00:21):
of this. Doug, thanks for the time this morning. Give
me your reaction to where we stand now. They hope
to get this thing done by the start of the
year in twenty twenty five. But what do you make
of the numbers?
Speaker 2 (00:34):
The numbers are kind of what expected when you start
looking around at the cases that were closed by lack
of manpower. That was actually probably a legitimate reason to
clear the case back when the cases were designated that way.
This was all started to show that we were lacking
in staffing, and it is still a problem today that
(00:57):
we lack staffing. Everybody knows that the cases that we
had the problem with there were several that were miscoded
and it wasn't caught. That's where you come up with
the charges that were filed later on. This should never
happen with a case that's a person to person case
or rape or robbery, an assault, anything like that. And
(01:20):
what it happened was this case kind of morphed into
that where several cases slipping the cracks.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
It should never have happened.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
We have safeguards in place now to make sure that
doesn't happen again.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
And out of the two hundred.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
And sixty four thousand cases you're going to see, most
of those were cases that were never going.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
To be able to be worked anyway.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
There were no leads, there was no information, and that's
where we're going to You're still going through half cases
like that.
Speaker 3 (01:45):
Come through, it just won't be coded the same.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
Tell me about those safeguards, Doug, because I think that's
extremely important here, the idea that this would not happen again,
even though you continue to be very very understaffed.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
Yes, sir, well, the way it works now is that
we have each division has a I guess like a
gatekeeper that looks at these cases and they have to
if there's workable leads in those cases, they are going
to go to an investigator for a review and then
follow up where there's some cases you're not going to
(02:20):
have any information. Let's say plants were stolen off through
ports and there's nobody knows where they come from. That's
a low level crime and they're probably not going to
have anybody investigate that. Just being honest with people, and
that's been my word from day one.
Speaker 3 (02:37):
Let's be honest with the public.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
There's things that we are not going to be able
to investigate because we don't have the resources to do so.
But any crime that is a violent offense or a
person personal crime must be investigated all the way to
its end.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
What do you suggest or what are you aware of
in terms of get more resources? You know, it's one
thing to say with the resources are available, and these
things are going to slip through the cracks, or things
that are low level that we're not going to be
able to investigate. I agree with you. Every every crime
or report of a crime needs to be investigated or
at least checked into, and you can't do it with
the resources you have.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
How do you get more, Well, it's all.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
About recruiting your retention. We're going to have to pay
our guys more. You start looking around at the we're
one of the lowest in the state when it comes
to pay. So you've got aufers that will go through
our academy and then leave and go to a smaller
agency or even another big agency because they pay more.
We had an academy class to graduate. I know of
(03:40):
at least two that have already left. I mean it's
been less than three weeks. They're gone, one with forsher
PD and another's one DPS, and we have more to
see that as a viable option. They will go through
our police Academy, get the knowledge, and then they'll go
to a smaller agency.
Speaker 1 (03:55):
Well that's just that's a terrible thing to think about,
because how do you how do you how do you
retain them? You're exactly right, recruiting and retention. The key
is keeping people there and keeping them happy and making
sure they're making enough money to justify the risk that
they're putting themselves into in high crime situations, really really
difficult circumstances. Doug Griffith, president of the Houston Police Officers Union,
with the information for us on this developing but kind
(04:19):
of wrapping story. Doug, thanks very much of the time,
and happy Thanksgiving, sir.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
Thank you, sir, y'all to here.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
You got it. More than seventy one thousand, eight hundred
reviewed cases were listed as suspended, thirteen thousand were inactivated,
thirteen thousand, eight hundred were closed, and just seven thy
nine hundred were cleared. Officials in the department set a
suspended case is different from a case coded sl. This
is what you're talking about with the coding suspended lack
of personnel, because they include those where patrol made an
(04:48):
arrest along with those with no workable beliefs. About one
hundred and seventy five fell any charges, two hundred and
sixty four thousand cases suspended over lack of personnel just
unacceptable according to anybody and everybody close to this
All right, we do continue now. Bob frans in for
Jimmy Barrett. We want to bring Doug Griffith under the program,
President of the Houston Police Officers Union. It's been quite
the scandal. Two hundred and sixty four thousand Houston cases
were suspended over lack of personnel. That review is coming
to a close. So far, one hundred and seventy five
felony charges have been brought as a result of all
(00:21):
of this. Doug, thanks for the time this morning. Give
me your reaction to where we stand now. They hope
to get this thing done by the start of the
year in twenty twenty five. But what do you make
of the numbers?
Speaker 2 (00:34):
The numbers are kind of what expected when you start
looking around at the cases that were closed by lack
of manpower. That was actually probably a legitimate reason to
clear the case back when the cases were designated that way.
This was all started to show that we were lacking
in staffing, and it is still a problem today that
(00:57):
we lack staffing. Everybody knows that the cases that we
had the problem with there were several that were miscoded
and it wasn't caught. That's where you come up with
the charges that were filed later on. This should never
happen with a case that's a person to person case
or rape or robbery, an assault, anything like that. And
(01:20):
what it happened was this case kind of morphed into
that where several cases slipping the cracks.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
It should never have happened.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
We have safeguards in place now to make sure that
doesn't happen again.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
And out of the two hundred.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
And sixty four thousand cases you're going to see, most
of those were cases that were never going.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
To be able to be worked anyway.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
There were no leads, there was no information, and that's
where we're going to You're still going through half cases
like that.
Speaker 3 (01:45):
Come through, it just won't be coded the same.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
Tell me about those safeguards, Doug, because I think that's
extremely important here, the idea that this would not happen again,
even though you continue to be very very understaffed.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
Yes, sir, well, the way it works now is that
we have each division has a I guess like a
gatekeeper that looks at these cases and they have to
if there's workable leads in those cases, they are going
to go to an investigator for a review and then
follow up where there's some cases you're not going to
(02:20):
have any information. Let's say plants were stolen off through
ports and there's nobody knows where they come from. That's
a low level crime and they're probably not going to
have anybody investigate that. Just being honest with people, and
that's been my word from day one.
Speaker 3 (02:37):
Let's be honest with the public.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
There's things that we are not going to be able
to investigate because we don't have the resources to do so.
But any crime that is a violent offense or a
person personal crime must be investigated all the way to
its end.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
What do you suggest or what are you aware of
in terms of get more resources? You know, it's one
thing to say with the resources are available, and these
things are going to slip through the cracks, or things
that are low level that we're not going to be
able to investigate. I agree with you. Every every crime
or report of a crime needs to be investigated or
at least checked into, and you can't do it with
the resources you have.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
How do you get more, Well, it's all.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
About recruiting your retention. We're going to have to pay
our guys more. You start looking around at the we're
one of the lowest in the state when it comes
to pay. So you've got aufers that will go through
our academy and then leave and go to a smaller
agency or even another big agency because they pay more.
We had an academy class to graduate. I know of
(03:40):
at least two that have already left. I mean it's
been less than three weeks. They're gone, one with forsher
PD and another's one DPS, and we have more to
see that as a viable option. They will go through
our police Academy, get the knowledge, and then they'll go
to a smaller agency.
Speaker 1 (03:55):
Well that's just that's a terrible thing to think about,
because how do you how do you how do you
retain them? You're exactly right, recruiting and retention. The key
is keeping people there and keeping them happy and making
sure they're making enough money to justify the risk that
they're putting themselves into in high crime situations, really really
difficult circumstances. Doug Griffith, president of the Houston Police Officers Union,
with the information for us on this developing but kind
(04:19):
of wrapping story. Doug, thanks very much of the time,
and happy Thanksgiving, sir.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
Thank you, sir, y'all to here.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
You got it. More than seventy one thousand, eight hundred
reviewed cases were listed as suspended, thirteen thousand were inactivated,
thirteen thousand, eight hundred were closed, and just seven thy
nine hundred were cleared. Officials in the department set a
suspended case is different from a case coded sl. This
is what you're talking about with the coding suspended lack
of personnel, because they include those where patrol made an
(04:48):
arrest along with those with no workable beliefs. About one
hundred and seventy five fell any charges, two hundred and
sixty four thousand cases suspended over lack of personnel just
unacceptable according to anybody and everybody close to this
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