Homeowner who was robbed frustrated by HPD response time

HOUSTON – A Houston homeowner who lives near the Galleria said the Houston Police Department did not respond fast enough when her home was burglarized.

The homeowner said last Saturday night she was at a wedding. When she looked at her phone a little before 10 p.m., she saw she had four missed calls from her alarm company. Just before 8:40 p.m., a burglar or burglars shattered her kitchen window, then ransacked her home.

"I felt violated," she told Channel 2.

But she said that what frustrated her more was HPD's response time to the incident. According to the police report, HPD received a call regarding an activated alarm from the alarm company at 8:40 p.m., but an officer didn't arrive at the home until 10:05 p.m.

HPD says the call was not considered a priority call because it was not life-threatening. On a high-volume call night, such as last Saturday night, HPD said officers had to respond to the priority calls first. HPD said if a person was inside the home at the time of the incident and called 911, then it would have been a priority call.

But the homeowner said that is no excuse.

"If I were at my house and being held hostage or injured, I would have no way of trying to reach them," she said.

A spokesperson for the alarm company is now checking to see if there is a way to alert HPD of a priority call if the homeowner does not answer the company's calls.

The burglar got away with handbags and jewelry, including family heirlooms.