Do not believe the hype
Houston will be electing a new mayor next year and with that they will beat the drum that they will tough on crime to satisfy their constitutes. They will go to great length to make the public feel that crime is at its worse. Prosecutors spit out the same pitch before juries when all the facts do not feet neatly together. The truth is that Houston's crime level is the lowest it has been in 40 years. In fact, the city recently applied for federal funds through a program called Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), which would have given them money to hire more police. But Houston's request was rejected because crime is relatively low. In effect, Houston is being punished for good behavior. Steve Klineberg, a sociologist at Rice University, quizzes Houstonians on their thoughts, fears, and feelings. In a recent Economist article he says concerns about crime usually correspond fairly well to the actual crime rates, and such is the case this year. The number of people who are very worried about crime is down, the number who are not worried is up, and for the most part people are far more preoccupied with the economy.
When it comes to crime in Houston we need to look past the hype.