HPD chief: 'The buck stops with me'

More info today on the criticism of HPD Chief Harold Hurtt that we talked about yesterday: There's more of it coming from City Council, and the chief has struck back — well, sorta.

From City Council, there are calls for Hurtt to explain what taxpayers are getting for the money they're spending on police protection, KTRH reports. Councilwoman Ada Edwards said she would like to see data showing where funding to HPD should be spent, and Councilwoman Anne Clutterbuck said she doesn't feel like the council's questions about police operations are getting appropriate attention from the department. Clutterbuck called for an "honest discussion" about how tax dollars are spent on police.

Meanwhile, facing a police union survey of officers asking whether he's competent enough to lead the department, Hurtt issued a statement yesterday stressing that he is ultimately responsible for HPD's success — no argument from the union there, we imagine — and saying that "the buck stops with me." Hurtt also touted an overall decrease in crime in the city:

"It is noteworthy that despite an increase in approximately 200,000 new residents and experiencing a significant reduction in police staffing over the last several years, the city has had experienced at 6.4 percent decrease in crime per capita through the first five months of this year," the release stated.

Which is great, but we think the union and councilmembers are more worried about the 23 percent increase in homicides and 2.4 percent overall increase in violent crimes in Houston last year — and a nearly 24 percent increase in homicides from Jan. 1 through June 15 of this year compared with the same period last year. Those are the numbers on everyone's minds.

The results of the police union survey are expected to be released July 11.