Help fight crime

Don’t be lulled into thinking law enforcement alone can keep our city safe.

At 91, Erlene Gomez was still spry enough to get off a bus and walk to her destination. But at about 9:30 p.m. Thursday, someone driving near Heights Boulevard at 15th Street hit her as she crossed the street and left without stopping to find out if Gomez needed aid. For a woman in her 90s, that dastardly act was a death sentence.

The brutal crime of hit and run is common in Houston. Last month, Reginald Lauderdale was riding his bicycle in the 9500 block of Tidwell when he was struck by a driver who fled the scene. Also in April, Jose Portillo was catapulted off the motorcycle he was riding in the 13300 block of Westheimer by a motorist who fled without providing aid.

Hit-and-run incidents are but one of the many crimes in Houston that go unsolved, often because witnesses may be afraid to come forward. Or, just as likely, people may not be compelled to help a fellow Houstonian in distress because they believe their involvement won’t make a difference.

That’s just not so. The two cases from last month were solved as a result of anonymous tips to Crime Stoppers, as reported by the Chronicle’s Andrew Kragie.

In each case, police had little to work on prior to the tip. The Houston Police Department is able to deploy 5,000 law enforcement officers for a city of more than 2 million people. That’s roughly one officer per 5,000 residents for a city that’s larger than the state of New Jersey. Security cameras cover some but not all parts of the city. There’s simply no way that officers can have eyes and ears on all of Houston, 24-7. People who have witnessed criminal acts should find a safe way to report what they’ve seen.

With HPD’s finite resources, officers working these cases need all the help they can get. It may seem pollyannish to ask citizens to get involved, but citizen involvement truly is a powerful policing tool. More than 33,000 cases have been solved and more than 25,000 suspects have been arrested locally since 1980 through tips relayed through Crime Stoppers, according to its Houston website. The hit-and-run driver who killed Gomez is still at large, but police believe that the motorist may have been driving a white Toyota SUV. By doubling their vigilance, Houstonians can help our city in ways that don’t involve a risk to personal safety.

We shouldn’t be lulled into thinking police alone can keep our community safe. Ultimately, our responsibility to each other requires us to step out of our comfort zone and to get involved. Today, it’s Gomez and her family who need the community’s help. Tomorrow, it could be you.