Lee McGuire's 11 News report

The numbers are impressive. A 37-percent drop in crime in just three weeks in part of Southwest Houston. Houston police credit a truancy crackdown to the drop in the crime rate.

That’s why on his daily patrol, Officer Roland Walker isn't just looking for broken windows and stolen cars.

He's also looking for teenagers out and about during school hours. That makes them truants.

On one patrol, he found four of them in a single car less than a mile from Westbury High School.

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Crackdown on truancy may account for a drop in crime rate in parts of Houston.

"Well guess what, you can't actually be out in public until after 3 p.m.,” Walker explained to the teens in the car.

In the last three weeks, four officers in the Southwest Division of HPD rounded up 215 truant teens.

They're cuffed, then searched.

One of these teens on a particular stop has a bag of marijuana and crack.

That makes it a felony offense for a 15-year-old boy.

The teen with the drugs was booked on narcotic charges. The others will be checked for criminal records, and then taken back to school.

In the three weeks since officers here have focused on truants crime in the targeted neighborhoods dropped 37 percent.

"It could be that some of the students are committing some of the crimes. It could be that some of the students would have been victims of crimes had they been out on the street,” said Capt. Darrell Shindler.

Robberies and burglaries in this area are down sharply. Westbury's principal says attendance is up.

Back on the road - officers aren't ready to attribute the sudden drop in crime to truants alone.

It's still kind of early to say well, it's working, you know, it could be just the shock of it; crime usually finds another way to do things. Criminals I guess they find another way,” said Walker.

Students that police have picked up aren't all from Westbury High School. They say they've found Madison, even Bellaire students hanging around.