[{"_1":2,"_98":-5,"_99":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74,86],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":44,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},"mediaId",6549609,"mediaKeyId","5442537-f40d2eb30e5688a0c2e5caf6a7d2e3fb","parentId",5442537,"title","Office of Policing Reform previews redesigned HPD data dashboard; public raises predictive‑policing and oversight concerns","audioSeconds",0,"startMs",4506000,"endMs","viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5442537-f40d2eb30e5688a0c2e5caf6a7d2e3fb&start=4506&end=4506","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5442537-f40d2eb30e5688a0c2e5caf6a7d2e3fb/thumbnail_4506000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6549609/Houston/Harris-County/Texas/Office-of-Policing-Reform-previews-redesigned-HPD-data-dashboard-public-raises-predictivepolicing-and-oversight-concerns","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6549609-c75ac1522405d1830b8dadd908e9a8c0/orig.mp4?Expires=1770495590&Signature=JEjJwiydtZPUKBehjlsRXJDSVIxc0AlAeFnbJBC-AYxaQViE9R5WjN9WE5L8Q8Gla~QTbYrndpJf1wp7lx3gOAhU4dhziTdRk9JvBZLRYTUR~MOTO8w8jAXfhIDPKC1uZiziJ9mfNbUvDjAJFOrBSjqqvFFOZzZf5kzLEgn9AnsxmUbIteCV428iZHyygV6K-Tp1s9T6bR5nMUqWCTqHqoAGkb9Xl3b4TBsTskIdrcpIYHtbaTCKnWsDTW~Q3VCocrvzNEuspxURig~ULqNch4lBE5xKVOGuxqmEHyI-VrS8U9Eoj2VABQnNo7ww0lwxHqhn6dJdp1YwbNkpBl1ajA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Houston","date","2025-07-21T00:00:00Z","article","Christina Nowak, Deputy Inspector General for the Office of Policing Reform and Accountability (OPRA), and Tina Jason, senior staff analyst, briefed the committee on a redesign of the city’s police transparency hub, migrating dashboards from ArcGIS to Power BI to improve accessibility, automation and district‑level breakdowns.

Nut graf: Nowak said the redesign aims to increase transparency and make police interaction data easier for the public and council members to use in evidence‑based policy conversations. \"First and foremost was to increase transparency,\" she told the committee, and the new interface adds district‑specific crime data and automated data refreshes.

Nowak described the goals: consolidate multiple data sources, provide drilldowns by demographics and district, and enable trend analysis for measures such as use of force, complaints and departmental demographics. Jason, who built the Power BI dashboards, explained the platform change is intended to provide more dynamic, interactive charts and reduce manual data preparation.

Council members tested the prototype and asked technical and policy questions. Council Member Elkhorn asked about how the dashboard counts and highlights offenses; Jason confirmed the display distinguishes citywide totals from district‑level counts. Council Member Carter asked how the dashboard will be used to inform evidence‑based policy and said the tool should make it easier for council members and constituents to bring data to conversations with HPD. Nowak said the office will incorporate feedback from council offices before going live and is working with HPD and HITS to fill remaining data fields.

Public commenters raised concerns about downstream uses of the data. Bridget Jensen asked whether the dashboard could enable predictive policing and expressed concern about how independent civilian oversight is enforced. Jensen also criticized HPD’s cooperation with federal immigration enforcement and the criminalization of people experiencing homelessness.

Jason and Nowak said the office will accept council and community input before a public launch and noted technical work remains—data licensing, permissions and missing fields from HPD must be resolved. Nowak estimated the live launch could occur within a few weeks if integration and permission issues are completed.

Ending: The committee was invited to review the dashboard link distributed to council offices, submit suggestions for additional datasets (for example calls for service, response times, clearance rates) and to coordinate with OPRA staff on district‑level filters prior to a public release.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Houston - Public Safety Committee - Jul 21, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Deputy Inspector General Christina Nowak and Senior Staff Analyst Tina Jason showed a Power BI redesign of the city’s police transparency hub with district‑level data. Public speakers and some council members cautioned about predictive policing, oversight powers and access for non‑technical users.","taxTitle","Houston, Harris County, Texas","taxId",2797,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_46":80,"_48":81,"_50":82,"_52":83,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":84,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":85,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},6549614,"Crime Stoppers of Houston highlights tip line, school and victim services programs",2320,2045000,4365000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5442537-f40d2eb30e5688a0c2e5caf6a7d2e3fb&start=2045&end=4365","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5442537-f40d2eb30e5688a0c2e5caf6a7d2e3fb/thumbnail_2045000.jpg","/articles/6549614/Houston/Harris-County/Texas/Crime-Stoppers-of-Houston-highlights-tip-line-school-and-victim-services-programs","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6549614-395137ff172ef2f9d8959b47d1b67f5c/orig.mp4?Expires=1770495590&Signature=fktk0wSHPyJ0FHjCpjqnMkGyWNFZfrPgN7HLgPoWRwkzfVUVhSqlaMVZy1OXtd4ZnyaPKO4Pz3Xrqr3doX2v-92VFiX5Wm7AgyYsSQAbcwxXtbAwCWTG6qIX5XFPy4mDxaP~2B8Cj83YLfsCxi3iDH3-T3Fasv3AHCNc67Ml2WKUCgNZNJTGUhBn3cayX7bv2bjaeDWEhJoGAWSjhPMtMzxWns8d9l6ztJ32YUHbIQUymgPhx-UQMZam6220EG6WnXiJLe6rAAZdawvaX4uDV6h4pxQDfAWQAJ80tqot-VdaKoL9ka2fXexlxCekEzk9uyCumNkkiyNI01IDdz8yBg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Nicole Kristoff, chief operating officer of Crime Stoppers of Houston, and Sydney Ziker, senior director of programs and special projects, briefed the committee on the nonprofit’s tip‑line operations, prevention education and victim services.

Nut graf: Crime Stoppers told the committee the organization operates a 100% anonymous tip line and an expanding portfolio of prevention and victim support programs, including a Safe School Institute, a victim advocacy program, a Glenda Gordy Research Center and a statewide replication effort launched after 2018.

Kristoff described the tip line’s operations and incentives: callers are never asked for identifying information, receive a unique code number, and returned to only by that code via the app or a scheduled call‑back time. “If your tip was successful and resulted in the arrest or the solving of a case, we will give you specific instructions on a bank here in Houston to go to with some information. You go to the bank drive through, you give the teller this information that we give you, and they give you an envelope with your cash in it,” Kristoff said. She said the organization has paid more than $13 million to tipsters and that rewards commonly top out at $5,000, with supplemental rewards sometimes increasing that amount.

Ziker outlined prevention work in schools and the community, including the Safe School Institute (programming for pre‑K through high school), a statewide replication program and a “million for million” campaign to reach one million students with prevention education. She said the Safe School program reaches roughly 125,000 local students yearly and 250,000 statewide. Ziker also described newer work for neurodiverse communities and a “victim impact statement” video project that preserves victim statements for parole proceedings.

Committee members and staff thanked the presenters and discussed local partnerships. Council members and staff asked for district‑specific data and outreach support; Crime Stoppers said it can provide per‑district case, arrest and education metrics on request and offered downloadable resources, a SafeText keyword resource system and a calendar of events on crimeshoppers.org.

Ending: Crime Stoppers invited council offices to partner on outreach and volunteer efforts, offered to provide tailored resources for constituent newsletters, and noted upcoming events including the organization’s annual gala in October.","Nicole Kristoff and Sydney Ziker outlined Crime Stoppers of Houston’s anonymous tip line, statewide Safe School prevention work, victim advocacy, a new research center and outreach tools for schools and neighborhoods.",{"_33":87,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":88,"_41":89,"_43":90,"_45":91,"_46":92,"_48":93,"_50":94,"_52":95,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":96,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":97,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},6549619,"Houston OEM outlines alert system tiers, urges residents to enroll in Alert Houston and STEER",836,102000,938000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5442537-f40d2eb30e5688a0c2e5caf6a7d2e3fb&start=102&end=938","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5442537-f40d2eb30e5688a0c2e5caf6a7d2e3fb/thumbnail_102000.jpg","/articles/6549619/Houston/Harris-County/Texas/Houston-OEM-outlines-alert-system-tiers-urges-residents-to-enroll-in-Alert-Houston-and-STEER","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6549619-006cfbdd942c278214f0e11f234e6ef4/orig.mp4?Expires=1770495590&Signature=SGgVNuw1X20aWIHk8cbQZuJTHso2jdw38aV-vW-l0sGP6MSplHJ8wupe1t8qvMYKGssmwVuDZK9Nhu9sbDhQ0FSwg1txcuuAQoGRRlUHr8Ev2zi3RB5gn4L7OtxLcjSfXNNzfqMYP3OA4iGy1mgAkM4pRAzpKPZdLgwm3vQ8Iw0PhaVjmv-rYtIgwuz6NawoYG4Nd4p6Pn6BnI2y6jJgXUxuC65vwlNnxvR6GNf3PEsJQ8y7j1TzzBvxd~goJM1eFL5mmH4CbjpfbC~WTOG52LrcUUU33EUCGcTPuvGjicJCGpR~ImXhacyA104wyfuod4KHlZWAUgNDnX-slomwJA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Brian Mason, director of the City of Houston Office of Emergency Management, told the council committee the city uses three tiers of public communication—“blue sky,” “gray sky” and “black sky”—to reach residents before, during and after incidents.

Mason said blue‑sky work is the day‑to‑day preparedness outreach the office performs 365 days a year, including a 2024 website refresh, multilingual content and social media. “You can simply text alert Houston, all 1 word, to 888777, and that will get you into our system,” Mason said, describing how residents enroll in Alert Houston.

The nut graf: Mason said the city supplements ordinary outreach with targeted tools: Alert Houston and the State of Texas Emergency Assistance Registry (STEER) are opt‑in services for enhanced messaging to enrolled residents, while IPAWS/WEA (the federal wireless alert system administered by FEMA) can send geotargeted emergency messages to all phones in a drawn area.

Mason described the differences and recent use: since he started in August, OEM sent five Alert Houston messages (three tied to winter weather, one for a prescribed burn, one for a severe thunderstorm) and seven STEER notices (five winter weather, two hurricane preparedness). He said STEER, managed by the Texas Division of Emergency Management, targets vulnerable residents and that OEM has about 4,600 STEER enrollments, of which roughly 1,000 are medically fragile.

On IPAWS/WEA, Mason explained why the system can reach phones that did not opt in and how it can be used for imminent threats. “Usually, when you would get an IPAWS message, especially from City of Houston OEM, that is because we are warning you to take some type of immediate action,” he said, listing examples including chemical releases, shelter‑in‑place orders and targeted evacuation messaging.

Committee members pressed on gaps and outreach. Council Member Marikayman raised the prospect of communications when cell service and telecoms are down; Mason said there is “not a real good answer” and emphasized NOAA weather radios and other lower‑tech options. Marikayman and other members discussed piloting distribution of NOAA radios, testing drone or loudspeaker pilots for immediate neighborhood‑level outreach after outages, and providing funding for pilot programs.

The committee and OEM also discussed enrollment rates and outreach strategies. Mason said about 112,000 people are enrolled in Alert Houston—roughly 5% of Houston’s 2.5 million population—and OEM is pursuing marketing partnerships and events to raise that figure. Council members asked OEM to produce shareable graphics and materials that elected officials can distribute to encourage enrollment.

Mason described internal operational items: a 24/7 duty officer program to field city department requests, monthly IPAWS credential checks required to maintain alerting authority, and the city’s practice of standing up a joint information center for unified messaging during evolving incidents.

Ending: Committee members asked OEM to continue outreach, return with possible pilot ideas (NOAA radio distribution, neighborhood loudspeaker pilots, marketing partnerships) and supply shareable materials for council offices. Mason invited council staff to provide ideas and said OEM will coordinate with media partners to remind residents how to re‑enable emergency alerts on phones.","Brian Mason, director of the City of Houston Office of Emergency Management, presented the city’s three-tier communications approach—day‑to‑day outreach, enhanced pre‑incident messaging, and federal wireless alerts—reiterating that Alert Houston and STEER require opt‑in while IPAWS/WEA can geotarget phones.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Office of Policing Reform previews redesigned HPD data dashboard; public raises predictive‑policing and oversight concerns

Crime Stoppers of Houston highlights tip line, school and victim services programs

Houston OEM outlines alert system tiers, urges residents to enroll in Alert Houston and STEER