In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

399 31 An Insider and New Trust P olice department histories are rife with irony and standard practice. The biggest irony in HPD history was the 1982 event in which the cops’ mostresented mayor, Kathy Whitmire, appointed an outsider who markedly changed the quality of life of Houston officers and their policing techniques. The changes Police Chief Lee P. Brown brought to the department in the decade of the 1980s and followed up with administrative policies and the results of the Meet and Confer process when he served as mayor from 1998 until 2004 continue to influence the department in very positive ways. This outsider was truly a man for his time. It truly can be said that he took to the job and became a true “insider.” When she took office as mayor in 2010, Annise Parker chose her own insider to be chief, a decision based on years of experiences. Parker began compiling her study of the HPD as a 1970s Rice University student preparing a term paper on Houston homicides. Then she went on to become active in Houston’s gay rights movement, learned the realities of police conflicts with the gay and lesbian community, and served as a civic association president before entering elective city politics in 1997. Unlike many other civic activists , Parker tried to understand both sides of every issue, giving particular attention to the job of street officers. HPD’s relationship with Houston’s diversified communities improved on Brown’s watch as his Community-Oriented Policing policy spilled over into the new century. As Parker got to know more officers from the rank and file to the Command Staff, the budding politician grasped the overall benefit of officers working their way through the ranks to the top of their profession. From 1998 until 2004, Parker served three terms as the City Council representative in District C, the most diversified council district and inarguably the one that has produced more mayors than any other section of the city. 400 Houston Blue The second-generation Houston native then was elected to three straight two-year terms as city controller before undertaking the challenge to become mayor in 2009 and thereby earning the distinction of being the only individual in history to hold all three offices. Parker herself was an insider in the truest sense. Until her first run for mayor, Parker had received the solid support of the Houston Police Officers Union’s Political Action Committee (PAC) after having proven her support of HPOU’s goals for professional standards and salaries. She fully expected to receive its contributions in 2009. Yet the Union opted for African American civic leader Gene Locke. It was one of Parker’s biggest disappointments in all of her years as a political activist and police supporter. She soundly defeated Locke and became the first mayor in recent history to be elected without HPOU support. Despite the perceived rift caused by the Union PAC decision, Parker didn’t draw a line in the sand and dare the Union to get lost in the political sense. Instead, history shows that one night hardly went by before the mayor-elect was meeting with the Union leadership to throw the bygones out the window. Since that meeting, the mayor, the Union and the HPD administration have stayed on one page with the understanding that what’s best for Houstonians comes first with the emotional political issues that always come with police work following behind in an agreeable, prioritized order. The appointment of a chief was at the top of the priority list. Parker followed White’s example by hiring an outside consultant to screen the candidates for chief. That was the only one of her predecessor’s exemplars she used in the decision -making process. PERF, which stands for Police Executive Research Forum , conducted initial interviews and sent the top candidates to Parker. She wasn’t surprised that four of them were from the current Command Staff. Executive Assistant Chief Charles A. McClelland Jr. stood out and quickly became her first choice for “his exemplary record and already-demonstrated leadership skills and his depth of understanding of various communities.”1 When Harold Hurtt stepped down in the final days of Bill White’s last term, coincidentally McClelland was on the peg to serve as acting chief, a position he held until his official City Council confirmation on April 13, 2010. During the interim period McClelland, the insider, knew what was expected by members of...

Share