Safety

  As a teenager growing up in Vicksburg, Mississippi, Angela Hart-Joseph was fascinated watching the psychological thriller film The Silence of the Lambs, featuring Jodie Foster as a young FBI trainee. “I was inspired seeing a strong female who could solve a case and bring killers to justice,” Hart-Joseph said. “That movie definitely pushed me in the direction of a career in law enforcement.” While her career so far hasn’t pitted her skills against any…..Read More

Safer by Design: Princina Brown-Thomas recently presented to District property managers about crime prevention through environmental design.   While many discussions about crime focus on arrest and punishment rather than prevention, the Houston Police Department’s CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) program seeks to reduce opportunities for crime by applying design principles that make it more difficult to carry out inappropriate activities.   Don McKinney, Westchase District’s vice president of public safety, recently hosted a…..Read More

In today’s world of constant connectivity, it seems everyone is tethered to electronic devices 24/7. But Don McKinney, Westchase District’s vice president of Public Safety, said it’s not uncommon for people exercising to be without their cell phones. That prevents them from being able to quickly alert authorities in the event of an emergency. As an added amenity, Westchase District recently installed eight emergency call boxes at various locations along the District’s trail system. The…..Read More

The enormous volume of digital data created daily is used to customize everything in our lives from our entertainment and shopping experiences to health services and even our safety. Processing, analyzing and then putting to use all of this big data can change our lives today as well as influence the near future. Westchase District is harnessing crime data collected by the Houston Police Department to identify “hot spots” within the District and allocate resources…..Read More

Picture this: surveillance cameras are trained on a Westchase District business. Monitoring software detects a group of individuals congregating in a corner of the parking lot and sends a notification to a patrol officer on duty. With a few finger taps, the officer then pulls up the video feed on an iPad and spreads his fingertips on the touchscreen to zoom in to get a better look at faces and to determine if he should…..Read More

As the economy has faltered, more individuals stake out street corners, grab their cups and cardboard signs and solicit money from strangers. Their signs are plaintive: “lost job,” “single mom,” “unemployed veteran,” or “have cancer/no insurance.” Some motorists are motivated to help these individuals, handing out whatever spare change they have in their possession or distributing carefully-assembled plastic bags with toiletries and snacks. But how do you know that your donation is really helping someone…..Read More

This past winter, Westchase District Patrol officers passed out 2017 promotional calendars to apartment managers, office managers and retail owners. The calendars served two purposes: creating awareness about the patrols and providing occasions for officers to mingle with Westchase District stakeholders. It’s an opportunity relished by Officer Tim Vaca. “I like working Westchase District because I get to interact with people more than on my regular shift,” he said. “I’m always moving around and I’m…..Read More

Let’s Roll: You might see officer Nam Nguyen on bike patrol Wednesdays in Westchase District. In some countries, people labeled early birds are called “A-people” and those who are night owls are called “B-people.” But what about a man who works from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. and then takes on a second shift from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.? You might call him crazy, or you could call him Nam Nguyen. Nguyen, a Westchase…..Read More

Ted Gutierrez, co-founder and CEO of Cyber Threat Be Gone, shares best practices on how to avoid computer hacking for businesses of all sizes. With headline news almost daily about data breaches, information leaks and companies held for ransom, the threat of cybercrime is real and relevant. To learn more about this danger and how to combat it, Westchase District hosted a presentation on “how to not get hacked” at its recent quarterly public safety…..Read More

Tough Competitor: HPD officer Jose Demeterio patrols Westchase District ready for anything. At 5’5”, HPD officer Jose Demeterio is not the biggest police officer ever to wear the badge, but he just might be one of the baddest. “I practice jiu jitsu regularly, which has given me the mental training and confidence to deal with people much larger than myself. Not too much gives me pause,” he said with characteristic understatement. As a lifelong athlete…..Read More