Houston Police Academy, 6:30 am sharp. Flag Detail and roll call. This is quite the sight. As the sun rises, all current academy class groups will form at attention in respect to the tradition of the morning flag raising. Once the flags are raised, roll call is conducted. They march in, they march out. Very impressive.
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The Mounted Patrol Detail has established itself as an undeniable asset to the Houston Police Department and the community we serve. The Unit is an invaluable tool in crowd control and public relations.
We recently showcased one of our finest Mounted Patrol Officers. Officer Ron Curry and his partner Hershel, currently help keep our streets safe. You may see them downtown on any given day. Stop by and give his partner Hershel, a pet on the nose and say hello to Officer Curry.
Does riding a horse for a living sound appealing to you?
Not to sound like "I'm beating a dead horse" (no pun intended) but we are hiring! Apply online today and work your way to the Mounted Patrol.
Our horses need partners at http://www.hpdcareer.com/
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Everyone always asks about the Crime Scene Unit (TV watchers might know it as CSI). This is a very tight group of officers that work hand in hand to solve a case. They are part of the Homicide Division. This is a very interesting and unique job within the police department. After you patrol the streets for a couple of years, maybe you can become part of "CSI Houston". Apply today at http://www.hpdcareer.com/ and start your career toward this goal or one of the many other positions within the Houston Police Department.
photo design by Officer Quoc-Tuan Nguyen 
This was photo taken in the 1950's. TV was new back then, but HPD had already installed a TV system in our main jail. It looks like we already had stars on our Jail TV. Look up in the upper left hand corner of the picture. This guy went on to Jail TV stardom for several more seasons....until he got cancelled. I heard he tried to make movies. (I don't think that worked out either)
Some people ask me why they should join the Houston Police Department instead of a different, maybe smaller department. With a large department like HPD, you can find your niche here. Whatever you are good at, whatever you like, whatever your hobbies are, there is sure to be something within the Houston Police Department that will fit YOU. Whether it be patrol (I loved by the way), homicide, horses, computers, bikes, etc... you get the picture, you have the opportunities to explore within HPD. Everyday is different. One day you may catch a thief, the next day you may return a lost child to her mother. Each day will give you the chance to make a difference.
How many careers give you that chance?
This is K-9 pup Sjeandoe. He is one of our cross trained German Shepherds all the way from...you guessed it, Germany. (You guys will make great detectives, if you apply) This dog was recently featured at the Police Academy last week during Police week. This dog is amazing. He impressed all the kids with his skills, quite frankly he impressed me too. That's why I took his picture and wanted to feature him on the blog today. We have a large K-9 Unit and you could be part of it. Apply today and start your career towards something challenging and exciting.
Sorry for the delay in my posts as of late. I lifted a rock that was a little to heavy for my back to handle while landscaping over the weekend. I am sitting with ice on my back in my chair with a laptop in my...well... lap. Anyway, I thought I would share an old photo my grandfather gave me about 15 years ago. Interesting story behind this photo. This was taken somewhere between 1900 an 1907. This was the Houston Police Department back then. I thought the photo was pretty cool, especially when I found out who the guy in the center of the picture was (front row, sitting down to the left of the guy with the white hat, right in the center, with his hands on his knees, wearing a black cowboy hat-all you aspiring detectives should be able to spot him with that description). My father tried to join HPD in the early 1950's, he was rejected because they told him he was too skinny. They told him to go home and eat bananas. Back then you had to be a pretty big guy to join, or at least weigh enough. My dad never joined and ended up with the Marines. My brother attempted to join in 1983, but never completed the paperwork and ended up in Hollywood, making movies and TV. No relatives of mine ended up on the police department, I thought I was it. Then my grandpa gave me the picture above. That man which I described to you was my great, great, grandfather. His name was William Murphy and he was the Chief of Detectives. I became a policeman in 1982 and did not find this out until 1992 or so. My grandfather always assumed I knew. William Murphy was killed in an old fashioned shootout in downtown Houston. I always wondered what drove me to become a Houston police officer.
We currently have openings for Class B Identification Officers. What's this you ask? This position is exactly the same as Class A Police Officer positions, except you do not patrol the streets. You will attend the police academy for six months alongside the Class A Police cadets. When you graduate from the police academy, you will work the street for one week and then be assigned to one of the below listed specialized units, most positions are located at 1200 Travis at the main police headquarters. How do I apply? Good question. Apply online at http://www.hpdcareer.com/ like you would a police cadet, everything is the same. You must meet the exact same qualifications to become an Identification Officer (Class B Officer). After you apply online you will get a call from one of our recruiters asking you to come in for an interview. Tell them that you want to be an Identification Officer (Class B Officer) at that time. The rest is up to you. Most positions are plain clothes, however you will get the same uniform as a Class A Police Officer, for extra duty use. As you read below, you can see that these are pretty intense and cool positions. Don't worry, we will train you how to do it all!
In 1962, President John F. Kennedy signed a Presidential Proclamation that set aside May 15 as National Peace Officers’ Memorial Day and the week of May 15 as National Police Week. In 2008, National Police Week will run from Sunday, May 11 through Saturday, May 17. Click on the slide show below to watch some of the festivities this week at the Houston Police Academy.
Congratulations Class 199. Academy Class 199 started their quest to become Houston Police Officers yesterday. After six months of training at the academy they will become police officers and began a long and rewarding career. Each academy class is given a number. From this day on, they will be known as members of Class 199 and they will be proud to say it. The academy is six months long and you live off site. It is like attending college. You primarily work day shift hours and have the weekends and holidays off while you attend the academy. You will learn the laws, how to shoot and drive, become physically fit and graduate with all the confidence in the world. Each member of Class 199 will become our brothers and sisters in blue and belong to a very large extended family. Thanks 199, we look forward to seeing you on the streets! 
Sergeant Luplow just returned from spending one year in Iraq. I had the pleasure of meeting Sergeant Luplow during a recent recruiting event involving the Marine Corps. After speaking with him, I found out that he was also a Houston Police Sergeant and was over serving our country. He is now back to help protect our city. This gives a new meaning to "Serve and Protect". Thank you for your service Sergeant and welcome home. 
The nice folks at ESPN Radio, 97.5 FM "The Ticket" interviewed me last Sunday on May 4, 2008. Rick Gillis (host) and Chuck Savage (producer) were great hosts and made me feel very welcome. Rick asked a lot of questions about becoming a Houston Police Officer. I was able to get a ton of information out to anyone wanting to know all the details. If you missed it, watch the video below.
This gentleman was a Pearl Harbor survivor during World War II. He was enjoying the view!
Chief of Police Harold Hurtt handed out treats to all the kids.
ABC Channel 13's Deborah Wrigley enjoys the beautiful day during the parade.
I had my annual training at the Police Academy early this morning. As a police officer we must keep up with the latest information, shooting skills and practical applications... I digress, I was walking to class and noticed the strangest thing while Class 196 was doing their morning exercise... 
photo design by Officer Quoc-Tuan NguyenHave you seen our new "Ghost" car yet? They are patrolling the freeways right now. How would you look behind the wheel in one of these HEMI powered Dodge Chargers?
photo design by Officer Quoc-Tuan Nguyen 
