[PAA-Discuss] Congressmembers to Houston’s mayor, police chief: Open your books

[A. Artemis]

A couple of problems pop up with the general principle of accountability, below:   Major ones are that agencies caught with their britches down (like HPD, or the mayor's office, for instance), must request audits:  something which would prove their guilt - so they aren't going to do that.
 
My solution?   a Report Card system, from those of us who call for help:
A = You did such a fine job, you get a bonus.
B = You did OK.   You get normal pay.
C = You did less than merely OK:   You get less than normal pay.
D = Shame on you.  No pay, and agency faces a Shutdown.
E = You committed crimes.   Go to jail.
 
The Ch 11 News Defenders Investigative story can be found at:   http://www.khou.com/news/local/stories/khou080616_tj_crimestatsfolo.df81333.html 
Mark Greenblatt outdid himself. 
________________________.
Congressmen to Houston ’s mayor, police chief: Open your books 
11:11 PM CDT on Monday, June 16, 2008
By Mark Greenblatt / 11 News Defenders 
 
Click to watch Mark Greenblatt's 11 News Defenders report 
 
HOUSTON -- Is violent crime in your family's neighborhood really going up or down? To get the answer, you need accurate numbers. Now more than one member of Congress charges that Houston 's police department and Mayor Bill White aren't doing everything they can to give them to you. 
That’s why they are demanding the city of Houston open up its books. 
Their demands are a part of the fallout from an 11 News Defenders investigation that exposed Houston undercounting murders and other crimes. 
Houston’s latest numbers say that violent crime is up again. But those figures also claim murders and rapes are down. 
 
11 News: Do you trust the numbers you’re hearing? 
 
Past Hiding Homicide stories 
How HPD undercuts murder 
HPD admits mistake in 1 case uncovered by 11 News 
About-face: Mayor asks homicide case reviews 
HPD points finger at medical examiner for discrepancies 
A quiet reversal at HPD 
Houston's 'lost' murders have Dallas irate 
 
Congressman Ted Poe (R-Humble): No, I don’t trust the numbers. 
Poe is a former Harris County district judge and is a U.S. congressman. 
“There’s been enough inconsistency over the last year,” he said. “We don’t know what the truth is.” 
 
What’s he talking about? 
 
In the last year, the 11 News Defenders have uncovered crime after crime that Houston police simply never reported, leaving them off annual crime counts.   
 
We found them claiming an amazing “zero” embezzlements; having not one, not two, but four different totals for the amount of DWIs; and leaving at least 16 murders out of reports to the state and federal government — often leaving their investigation and grieving loved ones in limbo. 
 
“The family always needs to know whether this was a homicide or something else,” Rep. Poe said. “And if something is in error… that means some killer is running loose in the community and is never going to be apprehended.” 
Which is why Poe is now calling for a comprehensive, independent audit of HPD’s crime books. 
 
However, Houston officials claim they have passed a recent review by the FBI. 
The problem? 
 
Out of more than 260,000 crime reports from 2006, the agency only looked at 277 incidents. And even then they found problems, which are why Rep. Poe insists the FBI’s limited review is, “certainly not adequate.” 
Why not? 
 
11 News: You believe the city is not being as open and transparent as it should be? 
 
Citizen activist Jay Wall: There’s no question whatsoever. 
And longtime Houston businessman Alan Helfman agrees. 
“We need the numbers right,” Helfman said. “I’ve lost four people that were somewhat close by homicides, and I feel its time to take a stand.” 
Which is why they wrote a full-page editorial published last month in the Houston Chronicle, calling out HPD for “undercounting crime” and calling for, “an independent audit,” Helfman said. “What would it hurt? You have to know how many crimes you actually have so you can deal with it.” 
 
So who could help? 
 
The Texas Department of Public Safety is the FBI’s partner agency watching over Texas ’ crime statistics, and they said they’d be glad to do a full audit of HPD’s figures. 
 
The problem? 
 
Houston’s leaders need to ask for one.  
 
It is something Mayor Bill White doesn’t want to do. 
 
11 News: Why not ask DPS to come in and do this audit? 
Mayor White: I would prefer to have the internal controls and procedures that we think are sufficient that work and have more DPS people come and help us find criminals. 
 
11 News: Why not put this to bed for good and get the most comprehensive audit that’s being offered, if you ask, by DPS? 
 
White: Well I think some of the things we’ve done internally to check the numbers are very comprehensive, and you think by asking the same question time and time again you’re going to get me to say something different? 
“What does the mayor have to worry about?” U.S. Rep. John Culberson, (R-Houston) said. “Sunlight is a good disinfectant.” 
 
Rep. Culberson sits on the powerful house committee that funds the FBI. 
And what of the mayor’s decision? 
 
“It’s inexcusable,” he said. “Frankly, it’s sickening.” 
 
Which is why he says he’s going to step in. 
“I intend to make sure this audit is conducted,” he said. 
And this week, Rep. Culberson will send a letter to the FBI, demanding they take a closer look at Houston ’s numbers. 
 
What’s more? Culberson said he would introduce an amendment to a congressional bill requiring the agency to conduct a thorough audit.  
And there’s more. 
 
“I’m going to set up a procedure so there will be routine, unannounced audits from the federal government and the DPS to make sure the police chief and our local authorities are being honest with these numbers,” Rep. Culberson said. 
 
The Houston Police Department, via a statement, said that it would welcome an audit of its crime stats from “any authorized outside agency.” Still, Police Chief Harold Hurtt declined an 11 News request for an interview for this story. 
Any audit conducted by DPS would be much more comprehensive than anything done in recent years, said spokeswoman Tela Mange. The DPS could review every murder and rape, and said it would be glad to review a large sample of auto thefts, home break-ins and violent assaults. 
 
The DPS could also offer training to HPD for its Uniform Crime Reporting program, but the Houston Police Department would first have to request the audit. 


      
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