07:13 PM CST on Tuesday, November 29, 2005

By Janice Williamson / 11 News

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Houston's holiday crime wave of 14 homicides has many people concerned and there are new ideas about increasing public safety.

One idea would force apartments to hire security officers.

Apartment owners said they were surprised that HPD Chief Harold Hurtt had spoken out without first speaking with them about the issue.

They said the increase in crime is everyone's problem.

KHOU-TV

Larry Hill owns four apartment complexes.

Police found 25 shell casings and two bodies four days ago at the La Cantera apartments.

The double murder is part of a terrifying trend.

In the past three months, half the homicides in Houston took place in apartment complexes.

That has Chief Hurtt calling for change. "You know, you get in and you talk to the residents, you talk to management and you encourage people to get to know their neighbors to get to know who belongs in the area," he said.

Chief Hurtt also wants to force apartments that have too many calls, to hire their own security.

Shutting down crime is a top priority, according to the Houston Apartment Association.

Larry Hill owns four apartment properties in Houston. "They only work in pairs and they're $20 an hour if they carry a weapon, so you can do the numbers. From dusk to dawn, that's a pretty substantial number. It just ends up falling back on the residents normally, because we can't carry it all," he said.

Hill said many complexes already pay for security patrols. Some even have security cameras.

Owners say the police cutbacks took a toll on the southwest part of town.

"The Gang Task Force was cancelled some time ago. There was a lot of gang activity in that area. The loss of a lot of police officers certainly hurt," Hill said.

The Apartment Association is willing to do its part, but police backup is a necessity.

Chief Hurtt is to meet with Mayor Bill White Wednesday

An ordinance requiring apartments to have extra security could be on the City Council agenda within the next couple of weeks.