HOUSTON—In the coming months, thousands of residents of Harris County subdivisions will have to pay more out-of-pocket for contracted police protection. The news came as a shock to many. "Our homeowners association is high enough, without it going up," Larry Alexander, a resident of the Laurel Oaks subdivision in northwest Harris County, said. "That’s going to be a hardship on everybody, especially on my neighbors and me." Laurel Oaks is among a number of subdivisions that contracts security services from eight Harris County Constable precincts. County Commissioners recently approved a 7.1 percent increase for the cost. Right now, Laurel Oaks residents pay about $400 a year in association dues. The county’s decision means their fees will go up 10 percent next year. In many neighborhoods, the outrage is palpable. Contracting deputies is an expensive proposition, especially when the costs are being passed on to working families. Associations often pay as much as $56,000 a year for a guarantee that deputies patrol their neighborhoods 70 percent of the time. "You know, to the average person, you might think a $50 increase to their budget doesn’t hurt a whole lot, but for some of the people I’ve met, it will make a significant difference," Edwin Hart of the Laurel Oaks Homeowners Association said. But some law enforcement officials say it’s a small price to pay for safety. "For your safety, and knowing that you can go home and not worry about a lot of the ills of society that we face day-to-day, you know, 7.1 percent doesn’t seem like a lot for that," Pamela Greenwood of Harris County Precinct 7 said. But the latest increase won’t be the last. Harris County plans to raise the cost by 3 percent every year for the next twelve. Right now, the county pays for about 30 percent of a subdivision’s security contract. Eventually, residents will foot the whole bill.
