“We have seen a complete turnaround in our department,” said Houston Police Officers’ Union President Doug Griffith. “Morale is up. We were able to get a new contract.”
Griffith said Diaz’s focus on patrol and his decisions regarding new leadership command staff helped drive the turnaround.
“That’s not anything I’m doing, but staff is being responsible and taking care of business,” said Diaz.
Whatever you think of Diaz, his moves appear to be working.
“The proof is in the product,” said Diaz. “We’ve been successful; crime trends are down.”
For much of his first year, Diaz has stayed out of the media spotlight, refusing to give one-on-one interviews. Asked why, he said: “I’m here to make positive moves, not make noise. I am who I am. I’m more focused on doing the actual work.”
HPOU insists that doesn’t mean a lack of transparency.
“Absolutely not,” Griffith said. “You can ask him any question you want, he’ll answer it. He’s not going to jump on TV and give you a bunch of B.S.”
First thought was that the police were not working as hard because they thought they deserved more money, and the new contract made it okay to do their jobs. There was a saying among police, No one gets fired for not doing anything. Wonder if that saying is still true?
We still don’t know how many more police officers are on patrol; Diaz has failed to tell us that.
His “crime is trending down” is selective:
Crime is going down in Houston overall, with significant decreases in some categories like murder and robbery in 2024 compared to 2023. However, the trend is not uniform across all crime types or neighborhoods, as some areas, such as the Galleria or Meyerland, have seen increases. In contrast, other crimes like rape and human trafficking have increased.
This is a link published by HPD on crime for 2025; it only goes up to April.
I know that in my neighborhood, most low-level crimes, such as people breaking into cars, are not reported to the police; this trend of not reporting has increased recently. Even before Trump, I had the police come and ask me to talk to some of the residents about allowing them to view videos (I am the president of the association). The residents would not open the door for them. With HPD working with ICE, the fear of them is much greater; one only needs to watch Univision to see that the atrocities being committed by masked ICE goons are constantly being played. Even people here legally, who are mostly either DACA, TPS, or Green Card holders, are in fear. They will not report crimes nor step up to be witnesses; why should they, when HPD may not only check their status but also that of their family members?