HOUSTON – Houston police have added a new layer of specialized officers to the streets—designed to respond to higher-priority 911 calls, help locate suspects and relieve regular patrol officers so they can get back in service faster.
The Houston Police Department calls it the Patrol Support Unit, and HPD leaders say it’s the first tactical-style unit in department history created specifically to assist patrol officers.
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What is the Patrol Support Unit?
HPD says Patrol Support officers are trained on a bi-weekly basis and equipped to step into complicated, high-risk or resource-heavy scenes—functioning as an intermediary between regular patrol and specialized units like SWAT.
“When patrol officers are overwhelmed with any scene, these officers are there to help them,” said Capt. Jason Rosemon, who leads the unit.
Officers assigned to the unit wear army-green, tactical-style uniforms and respond in vehicles that are configured differently than a typical patrol car.
What makes these officers different from patrol?
Unlike many patrol units, Patrol Support vehicles are not designed to transport suspects.
“These vehicles are outfitted with equipment,” Rosemon said.
HPD says that equipment includes:
- Drones for indoor and outdoor use—useful in situations where weather keeps a helicopter grounded
- Breaching tools that can break glass or cut wires
- Less-lethal weapons
The goal, according to HPD, is to deliver faster, more specialized help to priority calls—without immediately escalating to SWAT deployments that may require calling officers in on overtime.
“With patrol support being there, being that intermediary between patrol and SWAT or specialized unit, we’re able to bridge that gap before we make that call,” Rosemon said.
Unit already responding to calls across Houston
KPRC 2 News recently observed the unit operating in Montrose, where officers launched a drone while searching for a suspect accused of stealing a catalytic converter.
In northeast Houston, Patrol Support officers helped establish a perimeter while a K-9 team tracked down a man wanted for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend.
HPD says the overarching aim is to take pressure off regular patrol, allowing officers to clear scenes sooner and respond to the next call.
“It provides an additional safety net for the citizens. They can feel comfortable when we arrive knowing that they have some specialized officers out there that are highly capable and trained,” Rosemon said.
What’s next: expansion planned
Right now, HPD says the Patrol Support Unit is working evening shifts, but the department plans to expand the unit to operate 24/7.
University of Houston Downtown Assistant Professor Dr. Elizabeth Gilmore called the concept promising, but suggested ongoing evaluation by the department.
“It makes a lot of sense to have a specialized unit that’s already out there, so you don’t have to call in people from overtime and have a delay,” Gilmore said. “There can also be potentially some concerns about the cost associated with calling in people for specialized situations and not only just the cost, but the time delay. So from my perspective, it sounds like an excellent idea if you’re talking about timeliness, because sometimes in policing, even five minutes can make tremendous differences.”
She noted that policing innovations generally come because departments recognize a gap and pointed to the size and geography of Houston as a possible justification for the specialized unit.
What you’ll see on the street
HPD says you’ll know Patrol Support is on scene if you see officers in green tactical uniforms.
The department also emphasized that the new unit is not taking positions away from other divisions—and that officers coming out of the academy are backfilling patrol positions.
Only on 2 tonight: KPRC 2’s Bryce Newberry takes an inside look at the Patrol Support Unit and how HPD says it will help get specialized resources to the calls that matter most.