Residents pleased with private security force

Crime down 15 percent since security firm hired, director says

Oak Forest homeowners have voluntarily raised $205,000 for private security firm Strategic Executive and Logistical Security to patrol their streets.

The Oak Forest Homeowners Association first signed a $125,000 yearly contract with SEAL in 2013, which residents have renewed each year through voluntary contributions made in addition to their annual homeowners association dues.

Collections for the 2017 SEAL Security contract ended on April 15, and a total of $205,000, which is $80,000 above what was raised in 2015, was collected from residents.

The excess will go into additional security programs for residents of the neighborhood, such as additional holiday patrol hours and officers, according to the OFHA.

Security committee chairwoman Martha Mears said the generous contributions from residents to the program are an indicator that residents are pleased.

“One resident sent in $2,520 this year,” she said. “And he isn’t in a McMansion, he has a small home in the neighborhood and said he loves it here and wanted to do his part.”

Mears said the OFHA asks for $250 per year from each household, or $150 for senior households, to fund the security patrol.

Though the contributions are voluntary, the security patrol does cover the entire neighborhood, and additional programs such as home vacation watches are extended to all homeowners regardless of payment into the program.

Mears said she has been floored by the generosity of those in the community who pay extra to cover those who have less.

“I’ve had so many people say they are going to pay a little extra to cover the seniors on their block who can’t afford to pay,” she said. “It really makes me proud to be part of this close-knit community.”

OFHA President Donna O’Connor said the decision to hire a private security firm arose when residents saw a spike in crime around 2013.

“It was right around the time that gentrification really began in the area,” O’Connor said. “It was more than just stolen tires from your driveway — this was guns and it was scary.”

O’Connor said Perry Homes had created quite a stir that year buying up lots in and around Oak Forest, razing original homes and installing larger, newer homes with higher price tags.

The development was paralleled by a spike in crime.

Mears said the crime mainly centered around burglaries, graffiti and petty crimes, but there were some armed robberies of residents who were followed home from area stores, as well as holdups at the Oak Forest Kroger and some banks on Ella.

The crime sprees happened frequently enough to concern builder Perry Homes, who joined the community efforts to find a solution, Mears said.

In May 2013 the OFHA held a town hall meeting to discuss the issue.

The group decided that some sort of law enforcement was needed on the streets.

But with 5,500 homes, making it the third-largest subdivision in Harris County, according to the OFHA, the cost to pay for constable patrols seemed out of reach.

Braeswood Place, a subdivision of about 2,200 homes east of Bellaire, pays for the constable patrol at a rate of $385,000 annually, according to officials with the Braeswood Place Homeowners Association.

“We decided to look at private security companies, and we reviewed several proposals before deciding on the SEAL team,” Mears said.

Mears said the rate for the patrol was the most competitive, at around $35 an hour, or $125,000 annually for Oak Forest’s patrol, and she said OFHA liked the fact that all patrol officers are GPS-tracked so that patrol time and locations are transparent and accountable.

In addition, all SEAL officers are commissioned by the Texas Department of Public Safety, and all community patrols also include an officer with a trained dog.

The OFHA held its first “Wine Extravaganza” in October 2013, with all of the proceeds earmarked for a SEAL security contract. With a $20,000 donation from Perry Homes, proceeds from the event and resident contributions, the first SEAL contract was paid for an put into effect in November 2013. Director of operations James Alexander said that there has been a 15 percent decrease in crime in Oak Forest since his officers were hired by residents.

Alexander said SEAL patrols more than 100 communities in Harris County, including the Greenspoint and Spring Branch Management districts.

SEAL began in 2003 as a private firm providing security against pirates for cargo ships traveling through the Gulf of Aden and has expanded its team to land operations in Houston and San Antonio.

For more on SEAL Security’s Oak Forest program, visit www.facebook. com/OakForestSEAL/