New Kingwood PD captain focuses on crime deterrence - Chron.com

Photo: Melanie Feuk

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Lieutenant Hong-Le Conn stands next to a Houston Police Department vehicle outside of HPD-Kingwood Division substation Wednesday, April 5.

Photo: Melanie Feuk

Lt. Hong-Le Conn made the leap from a career in retail management to law enforcement 19 years ago in honor of a loved one who was killed in the line of duty, and she hasn't looked back since.

Now, she is in her second week at the Houston Police Department Kingwood Division, learning the area as she prepares for her promotion to captain in June.

Conn is replacing Capt. Colin Weatherly, who has been transferred to the Northeast Division.

Conn patrolled the South Gessner Division before moving to the Asian Organized Crime Task Force in the Major Offenders Division. She was promoted to the Northeast Division and then worked in the jail for a mandatory rotation. From there, she was promoted to dispatch in the Emergency Communications Division before transferring to the Midwest Division, where she did administrative and Differential Response Team (DRT) work.

She worked in the Vice Division for a short time in anticipation of her promotion to the Kingwood Division.

Conn said while the Kingwood Division has a large area to cover geographically, she finds the area very pleasant and full of supportive, involved citizens.

She has lived in the Houston area for more than 30 years and currently resides in Katy with her husband, who is a special agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration.

One of the assets Conn feels she brings to the position of Kingwood Division captain is her DRT experience.

The philosophy behind DRT crime reduction is that by implementing innovative problem solving techniques to proactively address crime-related issues, criminal activity will be less likely to occur in the area. The DRT addresses issues such as unkept lots, ordinance violations, business licensing regulations, animal cruelty and many others. DRTs encourage community involvement and aim to reduce the need for law enforcement services, while improving the quality of life in a community.

"My experience in DRT, and my engagement with the community to help deter and prevent crime, all of that will come into play here," Conn said. "As involved as the community is, I think it will be successful."

The Kingwood Division covers not only Kingwood, but parts of Huffman and Summerwood as well.

A crime report update was given during the city of Houston's Capital Improvement Plan meeting in Kingwood Feb. 23, which compared property crime statistics from 2015 and 2016 for the Kingwood Division's jurisdiction.

From 2015 to 2016, burglary of habitations increased 24.4 percent, burglary of buildings increased 27.2 percent, burglary of motor vehicles increased 23.9 percent, theft increased 1.6 percent and auto theft increased 15.6 percent.

"I think crime is steadily on the rise because of population growth," Conn said.

As the Kingwood, Huffman and Summerwood areas experience more growth, Conn plans to continue implementing the crime prevention initiatives already in place, like the Ministers Partnership and issuance of Burglary of Motor Vehicle Cards.

Additionally, she will work to inform the community about DRT initiatives and further integrate DRT into the Kingwood Police Department.

"I'm a huge fan of crime prevention," Conn said. "Let's not wait until something happens and then react. Let's just prevent it from happening."

Conn also plans to identify areas within the Kingwood Division's jurisdiction that may need more patrols based on indicators like residential expansion, types of criminal activity, and seasonal need.

"Crime comes in spurts depending on the season," Conn said. "In the summer, I already anticipate kids being out and about, possibly causing little nuisances, so we already have plans to put an overtime program together for that, just to make sure we're visible and they know we're out here."

She said until she is able to review and analyze crime stats for each area, it is too premature to determine what a redistribution of officer concentration might look like.

"The Huffman side is a smaller area, so it doesn't always get the attention it deserves, but I'm open to whatever the stats show," Conn said. "We'll run the stats. If there's anything in Huffman that needs more attention – and I know some of the units have had burglaries out there – so, whatever the crime stats show out there, we're willing to address it and put a plan in place."

Community visibility and involvement is another one of Conn's core focuses.

She has already attended several community meetings, and wants to use as many social media outlets as possible to spread awareness about crime prevention.

"I have asked officers, sergeants and lieutenants to, if they're not busy running a call, go out into the community, talk to business owners, say 'hello,' just to let them know that we're visible and here to help. A lot of times, the visibility alone will deter crime."

Conn encourages people to report any crime, big or small, so that at the very least, statistics will be available to provide evidence of where more officers are needed.

"HPD is shorthanded, as you know," Conn said. "We're spread thin. We have what we call proportionate strength. Basically, as everybody is decreased, each division is decreased along with that number. If you see something, call it in. Make as report so we have the statistics to show where more of us are needed, because manpower is allotted based on crime stats and geographic area."

For non-emergencies, call 713-884-3131. For emergencies, always call 9-1-1.

As Conn becomes more familiar with the Kingwood Division area, she looks forward to coming up with new ideas that would be beneficial to the department and the community.

"I'm young, I'm energetic, I have plenty of ideas that will come to mind as I go along," Conn said. "Plus, I have a great staff with great experience, lieutenants that I can count on to give me input. So, you'll see great things coming out of here."

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