Mounted Patrol

The Houston Police Department revived the combination of the horse and Patrol Officer in 1984 with the establishment of the Mounted Patrol Unit. Today, the Mounted Patrol Detail is part of the Special Operations Division, under the Tactical Support Command. The Mounted Patrol Detail has established itself as an undeniable asset to the Houston Police Department and the community we serve. One Mounted Officer and his/her mount are as effective as 10-12 foot officers in crowd control situations. Although the Mounted Officer may be very intimidating in crowd control situations, the general public sees him/her as very approachable. Citizens who wish to see and touch the horse will stop the Mounted Patrol Officer many times in his/her tour of duty to say hello.

"You Never Know What You're Gonna Get"

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Police work is different than any other career. To quote a line from the movie Forrest Gump, "You never know what you're gonna get." Some days will be exciting and some days will be slow, but I promise you will never be bored. This video shows how different this career path can be from any other job.

I love this job!

I love HPD, my trainer feeds me donut holes and I get to chase down crooks like old tennis balls!

HPD Bomb Squad Reject!

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One of my blog readers sent me this video along with an email asking me how to become a Bomb Squad member. I am not sure if he was joking about becoming a member of the HPD Bomb Squad, but if this is you in the video, I say you should think of a different career. All kidding aside, did you know that the Bomb Squad is just one of over 250 different units that are available to you within HPD. From riding a horse to flying a helicopter, you can do it here. Everyone must patrol for at least two years after your probationary period before you can put in for most of the specialized units. However, a few units require up to five years of patrol.

Ladies of Academy Class 206

The newest "Ladies of HPD" started patrolling the streets this past weekend.

After six months in the police academy, these seven ladies of Academy Class 206 began their new career as police officers. Everyday will be different as they start patrolling the streets of Houston. I promise, you will not get bored at work.

206, What Did You Do?

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Many careers change throughout ones lifetime. Once you become part of a team, family and institution such as HPD, you won't want to leave. Being a police officer is unlike any career you have had before. The camaraderie is hard to explain unless you experience it for yourself. Class 2o6 will be close forever, and many, if not all, will go on to a long and storied career with HPD. Why not change your career and join our family today.

As the Sun Rises, Some Rise Above

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Tradition held strong as Class 206 held their final roll call as the sun rose above the police academy this morning. Academy Classes 207 watched Class 206 with pride, knowing that they too will soon be performing their final roll call in January. Cadet classes will stand in formation during roll call and will announce their names one by one very quickly. Throughout training, roll calls are done the same way every time, every morning. However, on graduation day, such as Class 206, it is done a little differently with each cadet of Class 206 slowing down and pronouncing their name loudly and proudly. Congratulations 206, make us proud.

Class 206 Begins Wearing Blue Tonight!

64 new police officers will soon be welcomed into the HPD family. Academy Class 206 begins protecting and serving after tonight. The graduation will be held tonight at 7:00pm, off site from the police academy, at Chavez High School located at 8501 Howard. Academy Class 206, it's time to do some good and make us proud!

On this day, Veterans Day, we salute you

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The recruiting office is closed today to observe Veterans Day. You may still apply online at http://www.hpdcareer.com/ .

Many of our employees (family) here at HPD are veterans. Thank you for your service to our country. Today we salute you.

Cadet from 206 does 1206

Courtesy of the HPD Video Unit

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Cadet Nic Vo, in HPD Academy Class #206, just completed a feat that most men and women will never accomplish. Vo broke the HPD Academy’s record number of push-ups by a male by performing 1,206 push-ups during a recent physical agility test. The previous record was 1100 push-ups. The record number of push-ups for a female HPD cadet is 405, set most recently by Officer Ana Andino of Class #204. http://www.hpdblog.com/2009/07/blog-post_07.html Cadet Vo attributes his success to a willingness to not give up; a strong mind and extra hours spent training at home. "Initially, I wasn’t going for any records when I entered the academy. My instructor told me that it would be a hard record to break, so I left it alone and didn’t think about it again. A few months ago, our class leader came to me and asked me to go for the record. I did it for him. For our class, class #206. The first 1,100 push-ups was to break the record, the other 206 push-ups is for our cadet class." Cadet Vo’s strength and determination have earned him the admiration of his fellow cadets. He trained by spending each evening doing 500-600 push-ups and performing pull-ups to build his upper body strength. The day he broke the record he was joined by fellow classmates who did push-ups alongside him to encourage him, and cheered him for the one hour it took to do the push-ups. But even Vo admits he wasn’t 100% confident he was going to be able to live up to his classmates’ expectations. But after breaking the record, he confidently admits he thinks he could go further, maybe even 2,000 someday. Now, Vo is looking forward to his future career as a Houston Police Officer. He always wanted to be a police officer growing up but lost sight of that goal as he got older. Until one day when Vo was the victim of an armed robbery. He wanted to prevent that helpless feeling he felt and help others in the community, so he moved to Houston from Tennessee and enrolled in the Houston Police Academy. Cadet Vo will graduate from the police academy this Thursday (Nov 12). That night, his family will be visiting from Tennessee and cheering him on as he walks across the stage. Class 206 will be conducting their graduation ceremony off site from the police academy at Chavez High School, 8501 Howard.