The WHCA held a Special Member's Meeting on Tuesday, February 18, in The Great Room at Zion Lutheran Church on Beauchamp Street. We nearly filled our new venue with neighbors drawn to a focus on security matters. We invited several special guests, including;
Constable Alan Rosen, Pct 1
Council Member Mario Castillo, COH District H
Deputy Constable Jacob Lemmons, Pct 1
Deputy Constable Amanda Suggs, Pct 1
Sergeant Graham, HPD Central Division
Lt James Mancango,HPD Central Division
WHCA Constable Patrol 2025-26
The first order of business for the gathering was to announce a change to the Woodland Heights Constable Patrol program. WHCA Co-Director of Security Beth Sorensen began by giving an overview of the program and its benefits to the community.
She was followed by WHCA Treasurer Doug Carroll, who explained the numbers that illustrate why the board felt it necessary to raise the program's membership cost. The current $350/yr rate was established in 2019. That price has remained unchanged, even as the cost of the contract has increased every year.
In point of fact, the Constable Patrol Program has been losing money for many years. For a time, that loss was offset by revenue from special events, including the Home Tour and Lights in the Heights. When COVID hit, special event revenue imploded. We missed one entire cycle of Home Tour. And Lights in the Heights actually lost money for several years, only just returning to break even in 2024.
With revenue sources declining and costs increasing, the board unanimously decided to raise the price for the Constable Patrol. We considered several possible rates, eventually settling upon $420/yr. This new rate will take effect on April 1, 2025. That's just $1.15 a day.
From a purely analytical perspective, this change is a 20% increase over the 2019 price, even though the contract cost has increased 26% over that time. Further, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports inflation (CPI) as 25% over the same period.
Much of how the change is enacted is dictated by the credit card payment processor used by our web host. Most CPP supporters participate in the program by way of auto-renewing subscriptions. They will receive a message notifying them of the change and when it will impact them. If your subscription renews before April 1, 2025, you'll already be paid up for the year. You won't pay the new price until 2026.
Neighborhood Safety More Broadly
The Constable Patrol had been an issue being considered by the board for several months. We had already been planning a meeting to go over those details when, on January 27, the neighborhood was rocked by the assault of a young girl on her way home from Travis Elementary School. To address this matter in depth, we invited local government and law enforcement representatives.
Constable Alan Rosen, Precinct One
Constable Alan Rosen was the first to address the gathering. He was very well informed about the situation, going into depth about the perpetrator, Carlos Jose Ayala Morales, a registered sex offender, released in 2024, who, as of this writing, remains a fugitive. The constable was able to detail this person's criminal history and how he was released in Harris County without local law enforcement being alerted to his presence.
The constable took questions from the crowd for 30 minutes.
Council Member Mario Castillo, District H
Council Member Mario Castillo, District H, addressed the gathering regarding his concern for public safety and the additional resources and initiatives his office has taken. In particular, he highlighted a program funded through his office called the District H Patrol initiative.
"This new public safety initiative includes community patrolling by the Houston Police Department's Differential Response Team (DRT), the use of two new Polaris vehicles, and the community-led District H Patrol Task Team." District H Patrol website
CM Castillo noted, "This program is not meant to just be enforcement, but it's also meant to be educational. And so we have done workshops in the past. We did a firearm safety storage and handling workshop where we also gave folks gun safes so they can properly store their firearms. We're in the in the works of planning a CPR one and we're open to ideas. If there are other workshops that communities want to do, as part of this initiative, we can bring one to the Woodland Heights or to the surrounding area. But I do want to make sure that y'all utilize the program."
Council Member Castillo stressed the importance of using other resources provided by the City of Houston and Harris County Precinct 1.
COH 3-1-1 system - Call for non-emergency access to city services
9-1-1 - Call to report a life-or-death emergency that requires an immediate response from police, fire, or ambulance personnel.
(713) 755-7628 - Precinct One Constable Dispatch number for the WHCA Constable Patrol
Sergeant Clayton Graham, HPD Central Division
Sergeant Graham from HPD Central Division stepped up to describe the Central Division, which includes Woodland Heights. He emphasized how HPD and the Constables work in partnership and noted,
"Regarding the incident on the 27th, I do know that they are actively trying to track where the suspect is. He's sold all his property and is not in Harris County right now. I can tell you that much. Because if he was, we would find him."
Sergeant Clayton addressed numerous further questions from the crowd. Questions he could not answer were addressed by some of the many Deputy Constables and HPD officers in attendance.
Wrapping It Up
As I conclude this report, let me share the board's primary message to the neighborhood. We are working to ensure the WHCA Constable Patrol Program's future by stabilizing its financial path.
First, I encourage you to subscribe to the program. The new price, $420 a year, going into effect on April 1, 2025, is less than a cup of coffee a day at your favorite shop. Personally, I think it's a pretty good investment to provide increased security for your family and your neighbors.
Second, if we can secure funding to sustain the two patrol shifts and we get an overwhelming response from our neighbors, we could look into adding a third shift. That would provide 24-hour security with dedicated officers patrolling Woodland Heights streets. Their ability to respond to neighborhood crime when it happens is key. Officers you know, looking out for you and your family, is priceless in a city as large as Houston.
Finally, if we are not able to raise enough funding to add a third patrol but have enough to have two patrols with some additional funding left over, we could consider some new strategies. Both the Constables and HPD have spoken highly of the Flock Safety camera systems. These surveillance cameras monitor traffic at key entry points to the neighborhood, logging vehicle information, including license plates.
Our own Deputy Lemmons devoted many hours to reviewing Flock footage from elsewhere in the city to help identify the truck associated with the January 27th incident. This is how they ID'd the suspect. Just imagine how useful such a system could be if we had cameras closer to home! But this system is on our wish list and is on standby until we're able to get our financial footing again for the WHCA Constable Patrol as it currently stands.
I know this is a lot of words, but I hope you understand how much work, discussion, and even debate your WHCA Board has had over this issue. I hope you understand and join us in supporting the program. We thank you in advance for that support.