SPP Deputy Constable Program
Help Protect SPP for 48 Cents a Day
SPPCC’s 2009 Deputy Constable Patrol Fundraising Campaign is still underway and if you've not yet contributed, it's not too late. The suggested donation for 2009 is $175 or just 48 cents a day—a lot less than a cup of Starbuck’s coffee.
What do you get for $175? A full-time uniformed deputy patrolling our neighborhood in a marked vehicle forty hours per week. Additionally, officers from the Constable’s patrol division make numerous sweeps of SPP when our deputy is not on duty. Many of you have met our Deputy, Stacie Martin, and I can tell you that there is not a more dedicated officer on the force. She considers SPP her neighborhood and is resolved to keep SPP a safe place to live. Her work hours are set by the SPP Board and are based on crime statistics for our neighborhood and the patrol hours of our Citizens Patrol. A great part of the time, our deputy is patrolling while we are all fast asleep.
Why do we need a Deputy Constable Patrol? Just open the newspaper and read about the crime in our city! The Houston Police Department is stretched to the limit and we have had instances in SPP where the police never responded to a call. HPD crime statistics for the first six months of 2008 (January to June) report 344 crimes in our police beat which includes SPP, Garden Oaks, and Oak Forest. HPD reported 32 robberies, 25 aggravated assaults, 100 burglaries, 96 burglaries of autos, 34 auto thefts, 29 narcotic charges, 26 DWIs, and 1 rape. Thank goodness very few of these crimes occurred in SPP. Having an officer only a minute away is a great comfort and an even better deterrent to criminals.
Won’t you send in your contribution today? The quicker we receive your donation, the better able we are to budget for the coming year. It also saves us the cost of mailing a second notice. If you can’t afford the $175 fee, please send what you can. Sadly, only 61% of SPP residents contribute to the program. The other 39% receive the benefits but contribute nothing to the program. If this trend continues, we will not have a program. If we had 100% participation, we could add an extra deputy to the program. Let’s all get on board and support this important security program for our neighborhood.