From the Desk of Chief Ray Schultz,
Some great work by Team MVPD on Wednesday just before
noon. Our 911 call center received a call from a Houston resident of a toddler
under water in a swimming pool just outside of the MVPD jurisdiction. The
resident had called Houston 911 but had connectivity issues and the call
dropped. Knowing that help was needed immediately, the caller called the MVPD 10-digit
number. Upon receiving the call, without hesitation, we immediately dispatched
both our officers and Village Fire EMS, and then transferred the call to
village fire for pre-arrival instructions while we notified both HPD and HFD.
We had officers and detectives at Bunker Hill Elementary, so they responded along
with on duty patrol officers. One of our patrol officers was only a block away
when the call dropped and was on scene in 11 seconds. CPR had already been
initiated by a neighbor and the child was breathing, but still unconscious.
Officers initiated drowning protocols and prepared for the arrival of Houston
and Village Fire who arrived less than 3 minutes later. The child was now
breathing on his own and rushed to the hospital by village EMS, where he
remained as of Thursday. The child is
recovering and doing well and is not expected to suffer from any long-lasting
effects of the near drowning. Officers learned that a neighbor who is a doctor
had initiated lifesaving CPR that prevented this incident from becoming a
tragedy. Our dispatch team knew help was needed immediately and dispatched
resources without worrying about jurisdictional boundaries. The same went for our officers and fire
personnel. They too responded without delay. As I have said many times over the
years, I am so proud of our team of professional men and women who serve our
community. Their valiant efforts in this
incident validate why they are some of the very best in the profession. Great Job.
As for crime this week, you will read below of a
burglary that was committed by a homeless suspect who found his way into the
villages early Wednesday morning. The shirtless male entered a garage and stole
a bicycle before leaving the area. (See attached photo). Detectives have been
on the trail of the suspect, and we have learned that he frequents Voss and
Westheimer. The male suffers from mental illness and is often seen sitting at
bus stops where he yells at passing vehicles and pedestrians. As we have been
looking for him, we have been contacting other homeless individuals seeking
information about where the suspect may be staying. We have learned that he is transient and
moves around the area. We also learned that bicycles are popular items to be
stolen by transients. Bicycles are stolen and quickly spray painted in alleys
along Westheimer and then sold for an average price of $35. The bikes change hands quickly. It does not
matter the make, model, or type. Spray paint and sell. We were also surprised to learn that several
of the homeless people we had contact with had cell phones and were
communicating with each other, that we were looking for our suspect. Some of the transients that we spoke with
asked us to leave them alone, as they did not want us around, because we were
disrupting their pan handling activities. After we spoke with them, they would
leave their location and move several blocks away to a new intersection. We
will continue to look for the suspect as we plan on dealing with him as the law
allows.
Thank you to our residents who donated Astro’s tickets
for games this week and tonight. Some of our officers and their families got to
see some high scoring games. Also,
thanks to H.E.B. for dropping several bags of fruit and snacks for our
personnel. The healthy choice snacks were appreciated by all.
Tomorrow morning, Team MVPD will be fielding a group
of runners for the 9/11 Hero’s Run. This
will be our second year of having a team. Our personnel, along with several of
their spouses and children will be participating in the 5k run. Making things even better, The Memorial
Villages Police Foundation is sponsoring the Kids Zone. Go MVPD!
One of my regular callers asked this week how many
stolen vehicles we had recovered so far this year? The answer is 25 so far in 2023, with a value
of just over one-half million dollars. Since
the ALPR project conception, we have recovered a total of 257 stolen cars with
a total value worth $5,506,601.
On the weekly crime report below, you will see where a
concrete saw was stolen from an active construction site with workers present. It
appears that Houston area criminals are getting more and more brazen and have
no problem committing their crimes in the middle of the day along a heavily
traveled roadway. Please help us hold
these guys accountable. When you are out and about, and in the villages, keep
an eye out for these criminals. Witnessing someone grab a tool or piece of
equipment from a job site, or landscaping vehicle and then run away, is a clue
that something bad just happened. Try
and get a license plate number and a direction of travel. Then give us a call
at 713-365-3700 and we will do the rest. Our detectives enjoy tracking these
guys down and introducing them to the Harris County Jail. Even a brief stay sends a message that their
antics are not welcome in the Villages. Have
a great weekend. Chief Ray Schultz rschultz@mvpdtx.org
Weekly
Crime Report
Vehicles Towed due to No Drivers License,
No Registration and No Insurance
9/6/23 at 0500 Hours. 300 Block of Gessner. The
vehicle was stopped for displaying a fraudulent license plate. Upon stopping the vehicle, officers found
that the driver did not have a driver license, the vehicle was not registered,
and the vehicle was uninsured. The
vehicle was towed by officers, and the driver was cited.
9/6/23 at 0930 Hours. 600 Block of Blalock. The
vehicle was stopped for displaying a license plate that expired in July of
2021. Upon contacting the driver, it was learned the driver did not have a
driver’s license, and the vehicle was not registered and uninsured. The vehicle was towed, and the driver was
cited.
Piney Point
9/5/23 at 1400 Hours. 2200 Block of S. Piney
Point. Recovered Stolen License Plates.
Officers were alerted to a vehicle displaying stolen license plates entering
the villages. Officers were nearby and located the vehicle and initiated a
traffic stop. While speaking with the
driver, it was learned that the vehicle was displaying license plates that the
driver had reported as stolen. The driver had also obtained new plates for the
vehicle. The driver said that her mechanic must have put the old (stolen
license plates) back on her car without her knowing??? Officers confiscated the
stolen license plates and issued the driver multiple citations.
9/6/23 at 1130 Hours. 1-100 Block of Farnham Park.
Burglary of a Habitation. The victim reported that during the night an unknown
person had entered her garage and taken her bicycle without her permission. The
victim reviewed her security video system and located video of a white male
subject not wearing a shirt enter the garage and take the bicycle. As the
investigating officers learned of the burglary being reported, our night-shift
officers let them know of a call from during the night of a male seen in the
area by a resident who called in a male walking by their bushes. Officers had
been dispatched to the area and when they checked the bushes, they found a
bicycle tire pump nearby. The entire area had been searched but the male was
not located. Officers and detectives
then worked with other neighbors and checked video surveillance and located
video of the burglary suspect. (See the attached Photo) Officers and detectives
then checked nearby homeless encampments looking for the suspect. While
speaking to many of the transients they stated that the male frequents
Westheimer and spends most of his day at bus stops, yelling and screaming at
people. Detectives have taken over the
investigation and are continuing to look for the suspect.
Bunker Hill
9/5/23 at 1430 Hours. 1-100 Block of Williamsburg.
Identity Theft. The victim reported that he received notice of a second comcast
account being opened by an unknown person who used his personal
information. Information about the
account was obtained and provided to detectives who have taken over the
investigation. The comcast account was closed.
Hunters Creek
9/6/23 at 1500 Hours. 8500 Block of Katy Freeway.
Theft. Construction workers were working on a concrete project when they
observed a male suspect grab a concrete saw from the job site and then jump
into a silver sedan with temporary paper tags before speeding away. A check of
a nearby ALPR camera found the 2011 Infinity M37 with Texas temporary plate of
3742X63. The male was described as wearing a long sleeve black shirt who jumped
into the back seat of the Infinity. Detectives were notified and have taken
over the investigation.
