Crime drops in Southwest Houston in August

We guess all the attention HPD has been paying to the southwest part of town is paying off: According to KHOU, the crime rate in the area dropped 32.3 percent in August compared to last August, even as overall crime in Houston fell 18.1 percent comparing this August with last.

Southwest Houston, with its population density and scads of low-rent apartment complexes, always seems to come up when people talk about the local crime spike in the past year. That's why HPD increased police presence in the area — the equivalent of 100 extra officers on the street, Channel 11 says — and rolled out special measures like the crime van and 24-hour officer patrols in certain hot spots. And yes, according to the numbers, it's done a lot of good ... but are we off-base for wondering why HPD is comparing August 2006 with August 2005? Based on what we remember, the city's crime spike really started taking hold later last year, so we wonder how the numbers will stack up when, say, November 2006 is compared with November 2005.

But back to the August/August comparison: Overall, KHOU reports, the crime rate has decreased across Houston "with the exception of murders and rapes" (!), and the police department points to one main reason for that: more overtime for officers. Will it last? "We do need more bodies, we do need more police officers and we have a vigorous recruiting campaign throughout the nation in order to attract candidates to the city, but yes, we can keep it up,” HPD spokesman Sgt. Nate McDuell said.