Attracting people to the thin blue line

Faced with the problem of a suddenly increased population, a spike in violent crime and a shortage of police officers to handle it all, HPD has taken the logical step of trying to lure officers from other cities in Texas and beyond. Problem is, every big city in Texas is suffering from police shortages, so competition in these parts is stiff.

"I'm sorry. it's business," said Lt. Kenneth Miller of the Houston Police Department's human resources division, which finds it cheaper and more efficient to hire certified peace officers from other cities instead of finding and training raw recruits. "We need good applicants, and if someone wants to come here (from another department), we'd be foolish not to take them. If someone were recruited here, we certainly wouldn't be offended."

To make sure officers find Houston an attractive option, City Council is scheduled to discuss today a $7,000 bonus for Texas police officers who decide to relocate to the Bayou City. A bonus like that might be necessary to get officers here — the starting pay for HPD officers, $36,022, is less than base salaries in Dallas, San Antonio and Austin.

There's also concern over hiring standards, specifically drug use. Marijuana apparently turns up often on drug tests of would-be police officers, which has led some police departments in other parts of the country to relax their drug-use restrictions. Texas, however, has no such plans — none of those pothead police officers here! (We seem to prefer the ones who pass around nude photos of people they arrest.)