Houston Police Department
| Houston Police Department | |
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| Abbreviation | H.P.D. |
Patch of the Houston Police Department
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Badge of the Houston Police Department
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| Motto | Order through law, justice with mercy |
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | 1841 |
| Annual budget | $601 Million |
| Legal personality | Governmental: Government agency |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction* | City of Houston in the state of Texas, USA |
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| Map of Houston Police Department's jurisdiction. | |
| Size | 601.7 square miles (1,560 km2) |
| Population | 2,099,451 (2010) |
| General nature | |
| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters |
1200 Travis Downtown Houston |
| Police officers | 5,318 (2012) |
| Elected officer responsible | Sylvester Turner, Mayor of Houston |
| Agency executives |
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| Facilities | |
| Helicopters | 16 (5 on patrol) |
| Website | |
| houstonpolice.org | |
| Footnotes | |
| * Divisional agency: Division of the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction. | |
The Houston Police Department (HPD) is the primary law enforcement agency serving the City of Houston, Texas, United States and some surrounding areas. Its headquarters are at 1200 Travis in Downtown Houston.
HPD's jurisdiction often overlaps with several other law enforcement agencies, among them the Harris County Sheriff's Office and the Harris County Constable Precincts. HPD is the largest municipal police department in Texas.
According to the HPD's website, "The mission of the Houston Police Department is to enhance the quality of life in the City of Houston by working cooperatively with the public and within the framework of the U.S. Constitution to enforce the laws, preserve the peace, reduce fear and provide for a safe environment."
The current chief of police is Hubert Arturo "Art" Acevedo.
Houston was founded by brothers Augustus and John Kirby Allen in 1836 and incorporated as a city the next year, 1837. As the city quickly grew, so did the need for a cohesive law enforcement agency. The Houston Police Department was founded in 1841. The first HPD badge issued bore the number "1."
The early part of the 20th century was a time of enormous growth for both Houston and for the Houston Police Department. Due to growing traffic concerns in downtown Houston, the HPD purchased its first automobile in 1910 and created its first traffic squad during that same year. Eleven years later, in 1921, the HPD installed the city's first traffic light. This traffic light was manually operated until 1927, when automatic traffic lights were installed.
As Houston became a larger metropolis throughout the 1930s and 1940s, the HPD found itself growing and acquiring more technology to keep up with the city's fast pace. The first homicide division was established in 1930. During that same year, the HPD purchased newer weapons to arm their officers: standard issue .44 caliber revolvers and two Thompson submachine guns. In 1939, the department proudly presented its first police academy class. The Houston Police Officers Association (HPOA) was created in 1945. This organization later became the Houston Police Officers Union.
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Wikipedia