Second in a series on business development in our district
[ Read Part 1 ]
On a recent weekday morning, Lt. Mike Santos of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office was making a phone call from the parking lot of St. Leo’s Catholic Church when a parish priest approached him.
The priest wanted Santos to know that “thugs” had been breaking into parishioners’ vehicles and that several women were inside the church attending a class.
Santos, who oversees the 21-member team of law enforcement officers under contract with the East Aldine Management District, told the priest he was there to keep an eye on the situation; that his squad had already received a call about the problem.
“We’re happy to drive through the parking lot. Or, when our deputies are writing up reports in their cars, they can always come and sit right out here,” Santos told the priest.
Their exchange showed one of the many ways that businesses and community facilities in the East Aldine Management District are well-served by the District’s annual patrol contract, which cost $1,629,600 for 2022, with the Sheriff’s Office.
East Aldine commander Lt. Mike Santos
Day shift Sgt. Terry Garza
Evening shift Sgt. Jorge Alaniz
Night shift Sgt. Jose Diaz
The contract provides crime-fighting work by a lieutenant, three sergeants and 17 deputies. The officers spend at least 70 percent of their shifts working inside the district and the rest in nearby parts of the county.
The contract, which guarantees patrol services above and beyond what the Sheriff’s Office would usually provide in the community, is considered the largest of its kind in the county.
Statistics show the agreement makes the District safer, thus making the community a better place for businesses and their customers to thrive.
From May through September 2022, the contract deputies responded to 9,875 calls for service in the District. They made 161 felony arrests and 145 misdemeanor arrests. They also arrested 11 people for driving while intoxicated, recovered 60 stolen vehicles and seized 68 illegal guns.
The deputies seized 362 pounds of marijuana and $30,000 in currency in a single bust. Another major seizure happened in September, when the team caught a drug dealer with 513 gallons of methamphetamine ingredients.
In just one 2022 visit to an apartment complex in East Aldine, officers made 22 arrests, seized three guns, apprehended a motorcycle thief and served pending arrest warrants.
“We were there for one minute when we caught (the) guy on a stolen motorcycle,” Santos said.
The 800-unit apartment complex provides federally subsidized housing for low-income residents who must pass stringent background checks before they move in.
“There are good people there, who just happen to have low incomes. But they might have allowed a boyfriend, or a sister, to start staying there,” Santos said. “And some of those folks had criminal backgrounds.”
“It has changed tremendously from then to now,” Vanessa Warren, manager of the complex for six years, said. “The deputies (from the District) have made a huge difference. And the residents love them.”
“The deputies are awesome. We make a call to them, and they show up. Any way possible that they can help us, they don’t hesitate at all,” she added. “It keeps out the traffic of those people who don’t live here. Their presence is very much needed.”
The officers make hundreds of traffic stops in the District, with drivers likely to get a warning rather than a ticket When schools are in session, the deputies are more likely to give out tickets for traffic offenses.
Santos said East Aldine residents have grown more accepting of the deputies’ presence.
“It is predominantly a low-income, minority community. But finally, they are understanding that we’re not like ‘the cops in Mexico’,” Santos said. “There’s been a misconception that it’s the police against the public. It’s not that way at all. We want to see businesses and the community prosper.”
Lana O’Neal, director of sales for the massive Escapade nightclub in the District, said the deputies “are like family to us. They always come to our holiday parties, and we feel very close to them.”
“Fortunately, we’ve never had any major serious (fights), but anytime you’ve got testosterone and alcohol combined, you never know what could happen,” O’Neal said. “So, we are very glad to have that extra level of safety.”
Ruben Salazar, president of the Green Forest Civic Club, has high praise for the team of deputies, saying the addition of a night patrol unit has made law enforcement “even more responsive.”
“They have been very, very valuable to us,” Salazar said. “They are wonderful.”
What started as a taco truck business in the neighborhood and then became a nuisance was a problem that deputies effectively addressed.
The truck slowly evolved into an outdoor nightclub with loud music playing at all hours and inebriated patrons wandering into the residential area, leaving trash behind and using residential lawns as a “restroom,” Salazar said.
“We support small businesses, but there was a point where we needed that business to clean up their act and follow the rules,” Salazar said. The owner of the convenience store where the truck had parked lived in Pearland and did not know about the nuisance issue.
“The deputies went directly to the owner and gave them 30 days’ notice,” Salazar said, “And they moved right away. We are extremely grateful to all of the deputies. And it was a very smart move for the District to have added that night shift.”
The District has an additional, annual $60,8333 contract with the Harris County Attorney’s Office to supplement the filing of legal actions against properties that create nuisances.
Also, Harris County has funded the Shot Spotter program that allows the deputies to detect, locate and respond to gunfire, often before residents have time to make a 911 call.
— By Anne Marie Kilday
