HOUSTON — Houston police have kicked off increased patrols in the Third Ward following complaints from residents of rampant crime in the area.
Late Saturday night, Chief Troy Finner, his law enforcement teams and community members met along Rosewood and Emancipation. It's one of the areas they said is problematic.
The group spent time meeting with club and other business owners in the area to discuss concerns and ways to partner to minimize crime and disturbances.
Just days ago, community members complained about shootings and open drug use, adding they feel more unsafe than ever before, calling the behavior lawless.
Chief Finner said on Saturday night that they’re not going to tolerate people driving up and down their street, firing shots into the air or shooting at people.
"Now it's time to put a plan in place and execute, execute that with the community members so we can make it a better place to live," Finner said. "Because the ultimate goal, if people want to walk down the street in the evenings or at night, I want them to be able to do that. I want them to be able to get sleep."
Finner says people want to see more officers, and that visibility provides a sense of security for people in the community.
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He said as the community and city grows, we all need to be better neighbors. As for the stepped up patrol, law enforcement said over the course of 24 hours, they took multiple guns off the streets and issued multiple citations.