HOUSTON – Houston Police Department Chief Charles McClelland is the special guest on this week's Houston Newsmakers with Khambrel Marshall. Among the many topics addressed, the dismissal of HPD Sergent Ryan Chandler after it was revealed he had not investigated homicide cases to which he'd been assigned.
"If we mess up, we're going to fess up and we're going to clean up,"he said. "When I lose confidence in someone that has committed these types of egregious violations I've got to separate you from the Houston Police Department."
About the thousands of cases not being investigated by HPD, Chief McClelland says crimes against people take a priority and that HPD officers answer more than one million calls and make more than 100-thousand arrests a year. He says that's progress
"The previous five years, violent crime in this city has been reduced by 18%, property crimes have been reduced by ten percent", he said.
Also discussed: Budget issues in HPD, officer shortages and the fact that HPD has fewer officers today than it did 10years ago, continued problems with the HPD Crime lab and why Chief McClelland thinks having it switched to independent control is a good thing.
An insightful conversation with chief McClelland on Houston Newsmakers. Watch it every Sunday at 10 a.m., right after Meet the Press with David Gregory.
More Information:
• Chief Charles McClelland, Houston Police Department 713-884-3131