Neighborhood Security Report

I would like to start off by welcoming Deputy Vest back to the neighborhood. He was out for quite some time due to Covid 19. Here are a few words he wanted to share with our community; “I would like to personally thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers when I was out sick. It means a lot to me and my family.” He also wanted me to add that our community are his eyes and ears of the neighborhood. If you see anything out of the ordinary, please do not hesitate in calling.Thank you and our neighbors for everything you do.

Number to remember:
Precinct one dispatch
713-755-7628

 Those not subscribed who call may finally ask them selves, why have I waited so long to sign up?

Activity in our neighborhood for the month of July

• Burglary in motor vehicle 1

• Criminal mischief 1

• Theft other 1

• Suspicious person 4

• Traffic stop 8

• Stolen vehicle 1

• Local alarm 1

Margaux Poizat
WHCA, Director of Security

Be Someone Who Keeps The Constable Patrol Program Funded!

Imagine a world in the distant future… A world where Covid is a word of the past and hardly spoken. A world in which families go on vacation but do not spend every single moment of the day together. This day will come (of course not soon enough) but when it does ... Who will watch over and protect our neighborhood? Who will come to our rescue?  Will it be the raccoons, possums, feral cats, lost parakeets or possibly squirrels? No, it will be our Constables.

Have you signed up? If you haven’t it’s not too late. Act now and for $350 you will receive an up-to-date sticker/sign. This will give our neighborhood a daytime and nighttime constable. You can also request to have your house checked while on vacation. Remember, your subscription is auto renewable now.

I am new to this position and want to hear from you with suggestions or concerns. This program will only be successful if we are all a part of it.

- Margaux Poizat, Dir of Security

Don’t Let Our Constable Patrol Die on the Vine!

When the time comes and you need the Constable Patrol, think of this. Our Woodland Heights neighborhood has nearly 2,250 residences. The Constable Patrol is funded by just over 400 residences. To interject some ugly facts, last year Constable Patrol subscriptions fell significantly short of covering the cost of our two-shift patrol and, without better participation from the Neighborhood, will likely be the same this year. For these two years, the WHCA has made up the difference from its general funds. Without an increase in subscriptions, it is likely the Board will be forced to reduce costs by cutting the current two-shift patrol to a one-shift patrol. How is that making our neighborhood safer?

Now for the good news. There is no doubt, the more the merrier. The cost for the two-shift patrol is spread among the subscribers. If subscriptions increase sufficiently, the per household cost will go down. At the current cost of the Constable Patrol, it would take an additional 150 subscriptions to reduce the cost by $50 or about 260 additional subscriptions to reduce it by $100. That’s just 660 residences out of 2,250! In round numbers, 30 percent of the Neighborhood! I think that is an achievable goal.

Again, 2,250 residences and only 400 current participants. It’s krazy! How can that be? I have given the matter some thought and I think there are four main reasons for the weak rate of participation:

1. Financial necessity

2. Ignorance

3. Inattentiveness

4. Coattails

Let me address all four.

1. Financial Necessity
Fair enough. If you can’t afford the $350 per year, you can’t afford the $350 per year. There is no shame in that, and I can completely understand the numerous situations falling in this category. I feel safe in stating, those of us who are in the position to support the Constable Patrol are more than happy to support our neighbors who may be struggling. No worries.

2. Ignorance
That’s our bad. By “our”, I mean the Board of Directors of the Woodland Heights Civic Association. If you do not know of the good work the Constable Patrol does for our neighborhood, we are not getting the word our effectively.

3. Inattentiveness
Rephrased as, “I just keep forgetting to enroll.” We, the WHCA Board, will have to take a modicum responsibility for insufficient or ineffective reminders. However, we are all adults and responsible for our actions. Please go to https://www.woodland-heights.org/store and enroll. There are numerous options for payment, including good old-fashioned mail, by sending a check to Woodland Heights Civic Association, P.O. Box 7754, Houston, Texas, 77270-7754.

4. Coattails
I am hopeful this is not an elective position taken by members of our Neighborhood. In reflecting on the folks I know residing in the Woodland Heights, I can’t think of any who would consciously take the position of “I can get the use of the Constable Patrol without shouldering my share.” I am optimistic the rest of the neighborhood is the same.

Let’s band together to make this Constable Patrol work for us all. Please participate. Again, go to https://www.woodland-heights.org/store or send a check to Woodland Heights Civic Association, P.O. Box 7754, Houston, Texas, 77270-7754. Enrollment is $350. If you choose the online option, you can opt for auto-renewal and forget the hassle of annual renewals.

- Harry McMahon, President, WHCA

WHCA Membership & Constable Patrol Subscriptions

Harry McMahon, President, addressing the November WHCA General Meeting

At the most recent Woodland Heights Civic Association General Meeting, the Board of Directors announced a significant change in the way we take payments for subscriptions for both WHCA Membership and WHCA Constable Patrol. For those of you who did not brave the unseasonably cold weather that night, I would like to reiterate that announcement.

Commencing immediately, those who sign-up for WHCA membership and/or the Constable Patrol Program via our website can select a one-time transaction or an annually auto-renewing subscription. The auto-renewing option ensures your WHCA membership and/or support of the Constable Patrol Program never lapses.

Current WHCA memberships and CP subscriptions will expire on March March 31, 2020. You can renew online at the WHCA store or send a check to:

Woodland Heights Civic Association
P.O. Box 7754
Houston, Texas 77270-7754

If you are not a current subscriber, all you have to do is go to the WHCA online store and subscribe (auto-renewing or one-year.) You can also make your payment by mail.

Signs, signs, everywhere a sign....
Now for the tough part… delivery of Constable Patrol signs and sign stickers. As a Board, we have struggled in getting the stickers delivered. However, we are working diligently and have made excellent strides in getting the existing signs updated. If you have not had your active subscription sticker delivered and if you would like to pick-up your sticker, send an email request to Kelly Hare at membership@woodland-heights.org. She will put a sticker for you in a specifically designated mailbox at her home.

For those subscribers who don’t have a sign, we have ordered new signs and will deliver them as soon as we can.

I am in the process of updating our subscriber database and need your help. If you have paid for Constable Patrol and don’t have a 2019 sticker for your old sign or don’t have a sign, please let me know. You can email me at president@woodland-heights.org.

I want to thank all the Woodland Heights residents who have subscribed to the Constable Patrol or enrolled in the Woodland Heights Civic Association. The Constable Patrol is 100% funded by subscriber dues. Constable Patrol dues fund the Constable Patrol only; nothing else. The more folks who subscribe, the better patrol coverage we can fund.

I also want Membership subscribers to know we use the funds from dues to support many efforts around the neighborhood. Beautification, deed restriction support, infrastructure issues, neighborhood involvement events and civic awareness are all issues we regularly and ardently champion.

Please be involved. Please be a Member. We can all help to move our wonderful neighborhood forward with your support.

- Harry McMahon, President
Woodland Heights Civic Association

Announcing the 2019 WHCA Constable Patrol Program

Since 2011, Woodland Heights Civic Association has administered a Constable Patrol Program, serviced by Harris County Precinct One. Our Constable Patrol Program is a supplemental police force that provides additional safety and security to our neighborhood through the work of two deputies hired to patrol the neighborhood for two 40-hour shifts per week.

Program Benefits:

• Vacation watch and lock checks

• Home security checks

• Ability to link home security alert system to Precinct 1 dispatch vs. Harris county main dispatch

• Constable Patrol sign in yard

• Increased police presence in neighborhood

New Discounts & Incentives
In 2018, just 415 of the approximately 2000 homes in the Woodland Heights neighborhood funded the entire program. In an effort to grow the program’s participation rate and continue to provide the additional neighborhood security, we’ve arrived at a new fee structure for 2019. The rates are reduced, and include incentives for both early renewal and referring new program subscribers.

2019 Program Rates:
Early-Bird Rate: $300* (Renew before April 1)
Regular Rate: $350 (After March 31st)
Referral credit: $ 25**

*$300 paid by check, $310 if paid online using a credit card.
**Credit for each new subscriber (non-2018 participant) is $25 towards your renewal in 2020.

Now is the time to take advantage of the Early-Bird rate and help keep our neighborhood safe!
Visit https://www.woodland-heights.org/store/constable-patrol to join us in protecting the Woodland Heights.

Questions?
Don’t hesitate to contact: Cody McGregor at security@woodland-heights.org

The WHCA invites you to join or renew your subscription to the 2018-19 Constable Patrol Program

Neighbors,

We live in one of the best neighborhoods in Houston. While we all enjoy the many benefits of the Woodland Heights, there are unfortunately a few downsides. Clean neighborhoods filled with trusting people that are near major highway systems and large city centers often attract criminals and individuals that look to take advantage of the situation.

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In no way is our neighborhood comparable to a crime-ridden New York or Chicago gangland, but there are individuals that seek to upset our way of life. Consider this recent post from the Crime & Safety section of NextDoor (pictured right.) In reference to an attempted break-in at their home, the homeowner states very plainly;

“...for those that are on the fence regarding the Constable program, Deputy Vest was here almost immediately after being alerted.”

The Constable Patrol Program helps keep our community safe. Through the efforts of two dedicated Constables patrolling our neighborhood, we’re able to keep crime to a minimum, and when needed, have a quick reaction force on stand-by. Not to mention the added value of vacation checks while you’re away, home security checks, rapid response to HPD dispatch requests and timely assistance when needed.

However, it is our responsibility as homeowners and members of this great community to fund this program. Since 2011, Woodland Heights Civic Association has administered a Constable Patrol Program, serviced by Harris County Precinct One. Our Constable Patrol Program is a supplemental police force, currently two deputies, hired to patrol our neighborhood for two 40-hour shifts per week.

In 2017, only 400 of approximately 2000 homes in the Woodland Heights supported this effort to keep our neighborhood safe. While some have renewed their subscriptions, going forward into 2018 we are at risk of losing all or part of the Constable Patrol Program.

Will you join this effort to ensure we keep the Constable Patrol Program? if your prefer to pay by check you can signup by mail using the form on the back of the Constable Patrol flier (downloadable here) or online at http://www.woodland-heights.org.

Should you have questions feel free to reach out to Cody McGregor, WHCA VP of
Security at: security@woodland-heights.org

The Constable Patrol: Introducing Deputy Hathhorn

This post is part of an effort to introduce the people who patrol the Woodland Heights as part of the Constable Patrol Program.

As a native Houstonian, Deputy Hathhorn is the night time patrol Deputy for Woodland Heights. While Deputy Hathhorn is new to the Woodland Heights contract, he has been with Harris
County Constable Precinct 1 for six years.

Deputy Hathhorn served for three of those years as a Reserve Deputy. He enjoys serving others. He served the City of Friendswood, Texas as a Fire Fighter and Emergency Medical Technician for six years. In 2016 he was awarded a Bravery Medal
by Constable Alan Rosen. Without regard to his own personal safety, Deputy Hathhorn placed himself in harm’s way to savea citizen.

He has been married for sixteen years and has two children. He loves dogs, raises cattle, and enjoys outdoor life. Deputy Hathhorn believes that community policing has a huge impact
in Woodland Heights. He serves this community as if it were his own community.

The Constable Patrol: Introducing Deputy Vest

This post is part of an effort to introduce the people who patrol the Woodland Heights as part of the Constable Patrol Program.

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Deputy David Vest is originally from Alvin, Texas and now resides in Houston, graduated from Sam Houston State University with a degree in criminal science. He's been patrolling the neighborhood for three years and has been employed with Harris County Constables Office since 2005. Has a brother that is also a Deputy Sheriff in another county. He enjoys hunting, fishing, outdoor recreational activities and attends as many Texas A&M football games as his time allows. He enjoys patrolling the Woodland Heights because of the small community relations and its citizens.

January 2017 Constable Patrol Update

Subscriber Stats

The Constable Patrol operates on a fiscal year ending March 31. Through January, we have approximately 409 subscribers, which is below our usual amount from past years. To sustain two deputy shifts for an entire year, we need 460 subscribers. Luckily, we have had a little bit of a surplus to help fill the gap this year due to a donation by Greystar Apartments. We have about 1-2 months left of a surplus. In other words, if we do not get our membership numbers up next year, we may not be able to have two full deputy shifts for 12 months. More details to come next month as we officially start the renewal campaign.

Please support the Constable Patrol, and please let me know of any ideas you have on how to improve the program and make it sustainable moving forward.

Testimonial

Here is a recent testimonial from a subscriber about her experience with the vacation watch.

“I sent in a vacation watch form to let the constable know I would have a house guest. I indicated on the form I would be in town. I have a new Ring Video Doorbell Pro, and was surprised when a female officer went to my front door and tried the handle. Then the next day I saw remotely that a male officer did the same thing.

On the third day it happened when I was home and went upstairs and turned on the light - and I saw the officer parked across the street, waiting. I called the constable to ask why they kept trying my front door. It turned out that somehow it was entered into "the system" that I was on vacation. I felt so protected that they would check my house EVERY DAY.

I also have experienced that the constable will show up in under 10 minutes, while HPD can take up to an hour. The constable patrol is well worth the investment."

Crime Stats

Here is a summary of the criminal activity in our neighborhood over the past month.

Crime Map

Here is a map giving a snapshot of the criminal activity, showing most activity around Houston Avenue near I-45. Legend: car (thefts of/from vehicle); star (burglaries); ring (other theft); hand (violent crime).

Constable Patrol Activity

Wonder what our Constables do, other than generally patrol the neighborhood to be seen and prevent crime? Here is a summary of “Contract Activity Report.” There were 403 activities logged, about half coming during our day shift and half during our evening shift. Some activities were logged by constables patrolling nearby neighborhoods when our constables were off duty (which is another perk of the program).

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We remind everyone for a crime in progress, please call 911 first. 

If our deputies are on duty, they should be monitoring those calls, though you can also call Precinct One dispatch after calling 911 for crimes in progress.   Do not hesitate to call Precinct One for something that doesn’t look right.  Our deputies want you to err on the side of calling things in.  Our neighborhood is big, and you can help direct our deputies to suspicious activity.    

Brad Snead,
VP-Security WHCA