CYPRESS STATION, Texas (KTRK) — It’s an area once known for having the highest number of reported crimes in all of Harris County, according to data from the sheriff’s office.
But over the last two years, the sheriff’s office said crime in Cypress Station dropped thanks to a unit they launched in the area.
Four years ago, ABC13 analyzed Harris County Sheriff’s Office crime data and found that Cypress Station had the highest number of reported crimes in the county, with one reported every seven hours in this neighborhood.
The sheriff’s office said the high crime led to the creation of the Cypress Station Crime Reduction Unit.
“It started because this crime was just out of control. An area of violent crime, murders. You name it, they had it,” HCSO Sgt. Pierre Atkinson said.
Since it started in July 2023, the sheriff’s office said, based on calls for service, overall crime was cut by 36%, including 50% fewer family violence cases and a 34% drop in robberies.
“You’re not going to fix everything overnight. We still got a lot of work to do. The changes I’ve seen I didn’t think I would ever see in my career span,” HCSO Cpt. Steve Wilson said.
Cpt. Wilson said business owners have come forward to let them know the difference this has made.
“His employees are willing to come to work and work more shifts because they feel safer,” Wilson said. “So those kind of small incidents of the community coming to us and talking to us and letting us know the impact it’s made on them, that’s the biggest thing we’ve been chipping away little a time.”
The sheriff’s office said that while there is still crime, it isn’t happening as often.
They attributed the change to the relationships deputies formed with the community by getting to know residents and business leaders through events and day-to-day interactions.
“They take the extra time to sit there and talk to people,” Sgt. Atkinson said.
One resident, who didn’t want to show his face on TV, said he’s personally seen the difference.
“You learn to tell the difference between a firecracker and a gun in this area,” the man said. “That’s gone way down. You hardly hear it anymore. I saw a blanket spread out on the ground, and a mom and her two kids are out there having a picnic. If that doesn’t say it’s gotten better, I don’t know what does.”
Sgt. Atkinson said a majority of their calls now involve someone experiencing homelessness.
It’s something Cypress Station resident, Jamaica Seastrunk, said she’s noticed as well.
“They need to, you know, help with the homeless, too. That’s more crime,” Seastrunk said. “More assistance with the homeless also, and to get these people off the streets, especially the people that want to do something better with their lives.”
As the years go on, Cpt. Wilson said he hopes to continue to grow this unit from nine deputies to 18. He said the sheriff’s office has these types of crime reduction units in the Aldine and Greenspoint areas as well, where they’ve also noticed a decrease in crime.
Law enforcement said the units receive funding from local Municipal District Services, so as long as the contract continues to get renewed every year, they’ll be able to keep this going.
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