Good News, this week Memorial Villages was named as
the 5th safest City in Texas https://www.safewise.com/blog/safest-cities-texas/#list moving up in the rankings from last year. Historically we have been near the top of the
list and some years have achieved the top position. Recently, our most common
crime issues has centered on property crimes, primarily being mail theft,
identity theft and fraud. We continue to
aggressively go after these criminals and attempt to hold them
accountable. We do however need your
help. Please be sure and to retrieve
your mail every day from your mailboxes, closely monitor your credit reports,
and be on the look-out for phishing schemes that come via, email, text
messaging or unsolicited phone calls. If we all do our parts in addressing
these 3 areas, we can move up even higher on this list, and that is our goal,
to be as safe as possible.
Recently (and on more than one occasion), I have been
asked, what keeps me up at night as far as crime goes in the Houston Area? Most
people think that my answer is most likely to be burglary, theft or many even
robberies, but actually, what concerns me most right now, are the increasing
numbers of road rage incidents occurring across the region. There are an
alarming number of increased road rage incidents occurring pretty much
everywhere, day and night. When these
types of events occur, it is usually a non-involved motorist or pedestrian who
is put in the most danger.
This concerns me as more and more of these incidents
are resulting in gunfire, physical confrontations or reckless/aggressive
driving and motor vehicle assaults. There seems to be an attitude occurring
that everyone is becoming increasingly impatient on both ends of the spectrum.
Whether it is driving too fast or too slow, changing lanes, stopping at a light
as it turns yellow (and not running the light as the vehicle behind you is on
your bumper), not turning right on red, not immediately hitting the gas when
the light turns green (and someone is sounding the horn), or a vehicle
tailgating, passing on the left or right shoulder while swerving at you or your
car, then brake checking you after pass, all while flipping you the bird.
Unfortunately, too many people are then retaliating
and speeding up and showing the same aggressive behaviors back towards the
other vehicle, and that is what is placing everyone else on the road in harm’s
way. When the worse of the knuckle heads decide to start shooting at each other
they are randomly shooting from a moving vehicle, at a moving vehicle. Shooting
from, and at anything moving is difficult to say the least, and that is putting
the entire community at risk.
As I travel throughout Houston, I am seeing a disturbing
number of these events occurring (several times a week). Here in the villages, we have instructed our
officers to take a zero-level tolerance towards aggressive driving. Our traffic enforcement and citations counts
are up and will stay up. But unfortunately, we all must leave the villages to
go to work, school, church, or shopping and that is where we all face the rath
of unsafe and aggressive drivers.
Some tips that you can use to help protect yourself,
passengers and families starts with practicing defensive driving. What that
means is to watch out for the careless speeding driver. If you see someone
speeding, changing lanes, and cutting off vehicles move out of the way and stay
clear of them. If a vehicle is tailgating and flashing their lights at you, put
on your signal and change lanes as soon as possible. In situations where a vehicle cuts you off or
performs some type of unsafe or aggressive driving maneuver towards you, do not
retaliate. Instead, move away from the situation by turning, exiting, or
heading in a different direction. Should someone begin following you, start
heading to the closest police or fire station while calling police. If you are
in the villages call us at 713-365-3700 and drive to 11981 Memorial Drive. We will have officers meet you at the
station. If you can get a license plate and a direction of travel that is
great, share that with us and we will look for the vehicle. Again, do not
follow them yourself.
These types of incidents are increasing everywhere, so
please be extra careful and keep your cool. Don’t overreact as your safety is
paramount.
So, what have we done? In the month of May, we issued
624 citations that addressed 1147 different violations. Of those 140 were for
speeding. We also wrote another 72 for vehicles displaying false paper license
plate tags and we arrested 4 more drunk drivers. We will keep up the enhanced
enforcement.
And finally on the topic of driving, don’t forget
there is a major traffic/water project occurring on Taylorcrest Road near Strey
and Knipp Roads. Traffic is being detoured with area road and lane
closures. Please be sure and to follow
detour signs and do not attempt to drive against traffic on the wrong side of
the road. Wrong way drivers will be cited – no warnings. The construction site
is extremely congested with workers and machinery. There is a flagger present so please slow
down and watch the flagger for instructions as how to proceed.
The weather continues to be extremely hot and humid
and that is expected to continue over the next several days. If you have outdoor pets, please make sure
they have access to shade and plenty of fresh cool water. Access to a cooled
garage or pool room are also advisable as is bring them inside if possible.
Don’t forget the new doggie water fountain located at Strey and Memorial, it is
in the shade and there are 2 benches to rest on. Walkers and runners need to
carry water with them and take breaks as needed to avoid overheating. Only 5 more months of heat and then it will
cool back down (maybe).
July 4th Car
Parade. The 4th of July Car
Parade is quickly approaching, and we need more participants. This is a perfect opportunity for anyone who
ever wanted to be in a parade, to actually be in a parade. Grab the kids and have them decorate the
family car, truck or even the old minivan. Only requirement is a patriotic
theme of red, white and blue. Roll down the windows load them up, then line
them up on the 4th and follow the vehicle in front of you. Then
smile and wave, that’s it!
Read more from Hunters
Creek Officials below (reprint).
The Memorial Villages are
pleased and excited to announce the 30th Annual Memorial Villages Independence
Parade set for Monday, July 4, 2022. The parade that travels down Piney Point
Road, kicks-off our annual patriotic, flag waving, red, white and blue
celebration of America’s birthday. We will not have our usual gathering at the
end of the parade as we wind down from the effects of the COVID Pandemic.
It will simply be come
out, wave the flag, cheer our Police and Fire Personnel and celebrate our Great
Nation. There is also an open, non-timed “Fun Run” and children’s bike ride to
kick off the parade. Meet up at the Memorial High field house parking lot at
9:45am. Runners will go first. The run is a true Fun Run, no timers, no
categories, no pressure. The run will go down Piney Point and end near Ecclesia
Church. Runners will need to have their own transportation back to the start.
Shortly after the runners leave, we will have a Children’s Bike Ride. We are
encouraging riders (of all ages) to decorate their bikes and ride the parade
route. All in support our Red, White and Blue. Families are encouraged to ride.
Next, it is the vehicle
parade starting at 10am. Residents who wish to join in are encouraged to
decorate their vehicles following a Red, White and Blue theme. The parade will
be led by the Village Fire Department, followed by Village Officials, Resident
Vehicles and followed up by our Police Departments. The old-fashioned 4th of
July celebration is a joint effort of the six Memorial Villages and is free to
all attendees.
We will not be having
floats again this year, nor will we be throwing candy as usual…. another
casualty of COVID-19… The Parade will end in front of St. Francis/Ecclesia
Church.
If you will be joining in
the parade and decorating a vehicle, please register in advance so we know how
big the parade will be. Please send your name and phone number to Tom Fullen at
tfullen@cityofhunterscreek.com
Limit of 1 vehicle per registration.
Thank you to the families that sent over tickets to
this weekend’s Astro’s game, we drew this morning and have 2 happy officers
attending.
To all of the dad’s out there, Happy Father’s Day this
Sunday, enjoy.
Have a great weekend. Chief Ray Schultz rschultz@mvpdtx.org
Weekly Crime Report
Piney Point
6/10/22 at 2045 Hours. 200 Block of Blalock. Burglary
of a Habitation. The victim reported that sometime during the late morning an
unknown person had entered the home through an unlocked door and removed items
from the master bedroom and closest. The
victim had been home most of the day but left for a short time around noon. He
did not realize that items were missing until later in the day. A check of his Ring cameras detected motion
while he was away from the home, however the cameras were not recording at the
time. It appears that only the master bedroom and closet were entered.
Information about the stolen items was obtained and a crime scene specialist
responded to the scene. Information was
collected and provided to detectives for their follow up investigation.
6/14/22 at 2215 Hours. 11500 Block of Memorial.
Driving While Intoxicated. Officers were monitoring traffic on Voss Road when
they observed a vehicle traveling 59 MPH in a posted 35 MPH zone. Officers initiated a traffic stop and upon
approaching the driver detected the odor of alcohol emitting from the driver.
Upon speaking to the driver, she admitted to drinking and smoking
marijuana. The driver performed a series
of sobriety tests which she failed. A subsequent breath test showed her blood
alcohol level to be twice the legal limit. The 22-year-old female was booked
into the Harris County Jail and the vehicle was towed.
6/15/22 at 1545 Hours. 11300 Block of Piney Point
Circle. Information Report. The resident
reported that she had received a letter in the mail of an unpaid insurance
claim that was being sent to collections and believed it was a scam. Officers were able to look into the matter
and found that a vehicle that she had purchased and later traded in back in
2014, had never been transferred out of her name and was involved in an
accident in May of 2022. Officers
located a HPD accident report involving the vehicle and it showed another
individual as being the driver and owner of the vehicle. A check of MVD records did not show the
vehicle as ever being properly transferred. The resident was instructed to
follow up with the dealer. Officers prepared a police report documenting what
they had learned about the improper/incomplete vehicle registration.
Houston
6/11/22 at 0300 Hours. 1000 Block of Blalock. Agency
Assist of a Burglary Suspect. MVPD officers assisted HPD with a burglary
investigation and suspects running in the area. Officers had established a
perimeter as other officers began searching the area. While on location
officers could hear someone climb a chain link fence. HPD officers then began
chasing the suspects who continued to climb fences. The suspect then appeared
near the MVPD officer who began a foot pursuit. The suspect climbed another
fence and entered a commercial property. The MVPD officer also jumped the fence
and located the suspect hiding under a car.
The suspect was turned over to HPD officers.
Bunker Hill
6/11/22 at 1145 Hours. 400 Block of Flintdale.
Suspicious Situation. The victim had just arrived at her home after making a
withdraw from a bank in the 9300 Block of the Katy Freeway. Once in her
driveway a female approached her and asked for directions to San Antonio, then
a male in the vehicle yelled for the female to return to the vehicle which she
did, and they left the area. The female
was described as being Hispanic, young in her 20’s, 5 foot tall and of a medium
build. The vehicle was a white Tahoe with Arizona license plates. A check of
the license plate shows it belong to a different vehicle. The victim feeling uncomfortable about the
situation contacted MVPD. Officers
located the vehicle on the ALPR and it appears the victim was followed from the
bank but scared off by other area residents and walkers. Information was
collected and the Tahoe license plate was entered into the ALPR system for
notification to officers should it return to the area.
6/14/22 at 1615 Hours. 1-100 block of Norvell Court.
Theft of a Bicycle. The victim reported that sometime June 4, 2022, and June 6,
2022, unknown person(s) had removed a child’s bicycle from the side driveway of
her property without her permission. Information about the bike was obtained
and entered into the state data base. A
report was provided to detectives for the follow up investigation.
6/17/22 at 0430 Hours. 12100 Block of Memorial.
Criminal Trespass. Officers were
dispatched to the Forest Club in reference to noise coming from the pool area.
Upon arrival to the area officers located 3 juveniles on the property who had
been swimming in the pool. Officers learned that the juveniles were visiting a
friend in the area and staying the night when they decided to go swimming. A guardian was contacted who responded to the
scene and took custody of the juveniles. Charges are pending.
Hunters Creek
6/13/22 at 2330 Hours. 200 Block of Voss. Unlawful
carrying of weapons. Officers were monitoring traffic on Voss Road when a
vehicle was observed traveling at 48 MPH in a 35 MPH zone. Officers initiated a traffic stop and upon
approaching the driver could smell the odor of marijuana coming from the
vehicle and could see several firearms inside of the car. Officers had the
driver exit and vehicle and conducted a search that located a quantity of
marijuana and 3 loaded firearms (photo attached). The 24-year-old male was placed under arrest
and booked into the Harris County Jail.
The vehicle was towed.
