HOUSTON – The total number of homicides in the City of Houston for 2023 is down 8% from this point last year.
If the numbers hold over the next 24 hours, the city will be finishing the year with 40 fewer homicides than in 2022.
“Homicides, they trend up, they trend down but we are headed in the right direction,” said Houston Police Department Chief Troy Finner.
Finner spoke with KPRC 2 Investigates Friday night about a trend he started seeing in the Spring.
“I think we got some good momentum,” said Finner.
The decrease can be attributed to millions in overtime dollars being poured into HPD this year by Mayor Sylvester Turner as part of his One Safe Houston initiative unveiled in February.
The rapid change in trend has caught some off guard.
“I’m pleasantly surprised that we see the downward trend go so quickly,” said Bishop James Dixon, President of the NAACP Houston.
Dixon also is one of the faith leaders the city has leaned on to help combat homicides by helping various communities comprehend HPD’s goal, “The community understands and sees that the trend is downward.”
However, Dixon is quick to add, “We still got a ways to go.”
At Sylvester Turner Park in Acres Homes Friday night, KPRC 2 found Ricardo Rangel and his son playing well into sunset.
Ricardo says this type of play wouldn’t have happened a year ago, adding he feels “more safe” this year.
Maria Guevara says the change is visibly noticeable. “My mom lives here in the area and yeah it was a lot more like shootings and drugs, and now it’s more clean and safer,” said Guevara.
Chief Finner tells KPRC 2 Investigates the trend needs to go much further. As homicide numbers are still significantly higher than where we were only a few years ago.
“The trend that we are doing, trending down, make sure we carry that into the next year, but Mario we are going to need everybody. It’s not where I want it to be as Chief of Police, I want us to get back to pre-COVID.”
Finner plans to be on patrol on New Year’s Eve.
UPDATE: HPD says they finished the year with 435 homicides.