Lobbying For More Police Officers

Newly elected city council member Ed Gonzalez, along with fellow council member Melissa Noriega  left Houston Wednesday afternoon to fly to the Nation’s Capitol.

The two city leaders traveled there to  lobby the Texas Congressional Delegation for money to fund additional cadet classes in the Houston Police Department.

I spoke with council member Noriega at city hall before she left town. 

She  had a busy day, from discussion of problems facing the fire department to attending a rally on the front steps of  city hall

She told 2 on the Beat that the city is pushing for “legislation that will allocate money for at least four cadet classes in the police department.” 

At the time, Noriega could not tell me exactly how much money the city would need to fund the four cadet classes, but clearly the investment is worth the price of protecting residents in the city of Houston.

The Houston Police Officers Union recently sent a letter to Mayor Bill White demanding that he add four new cadet classes  and reinstate the police overtime budget.

If memory serves me correctly, the mayor said that  the cadet classes alone would cost the city an estimated $20 million, and the city didn’t have that kind of money available in the Fiscal Year 2010 Budget.

Gonzalez and Noriega should return to Houston in a few days.

I will keep you posted on their progress.