Houston Police Department Mobile Community Storefront Program and Equipment

Houston Police Department Mobile Community Storefront

Program and Equipment

The Houston Police Department (HPD) seeks $1,000,000 in funding from the BJA FY2023 Byrne Discretionary Community Project Grants/Byrne Discretionary Grants to implement the Mobile Storefront project.

HPD has been long committed to community policing and professionalism in police service. Historically, police storefronts were one of the primary ways that HPD provided community policing services. These locations afforded residents a convenient, nearby location to interact with officers, file police reports, submit alert slips, and gain crime prevention information. Unfortunately, due to significant budget shortfalls facing the City of Houston, nearly every storefront was closed in the summer of 2020.

The proposed project will implement recommendations from the Mayor’s Task Force on Policing Reform:  1) to pilot a “mobile storefront” concept in which a small team of officers park in different neighborhoods across Houston, specifically to interact with residents and listen to their input; and 2) to provide accessible and educational training materials for civilians – both about their rights when encountering law enforcement, and about tools that will help them understand the officers’ experiences and points of view.

Project goals are to secure new mobile storefront technology that allows HPD personnel to connect with the community where they live, work and play; to provide the public with a convenient way to engage with HPD to file reports, submit alert slips, or receive crime prevention tips or other information; and to build civilian understanding of what police officers face when on duty.

The service area for this project is the 672 square mile city of Houston. All 2.3 million residents are potential beneficiaries, as well as those who travel into the city for work or pleasure.