Outspoken woman gets HPD to make changes

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Eyewitness News has been following the story of Louversa Davis for a couple of weeks now. Her neighbors and police have taken notice, and now officers are changing the way they respond to crimes in her neighborhood.

There has been a dramatic shift in how officers here treat 911 calls since the incident which we first told you about last week. A move by police meant to boost the public's confidence after what residents are calling a 911 debacle.

At 70-years-old, Davis might look unassuming, but make no mistake she is a force to be reckoned with.

"I was scared. I am still scared, but I stand up for my right," said Davis.

She is the most popular senior citizen on her block in the Kashmere Gardens neighborhood. Her story, of waiting seven hours for Houston police to respond to her 911 call after calling them six times when her home was burglarized, not only highlighted a severe lapse in the city's 911 system, it shed light on a growing concern amongst seniors in her area who felt like they were being overlooked because of where they live.

"I feel like, no, I can't let this slip away from me since that happened," said Davis.

Since we first told you about the incident, police have not only arrested the man they say broke into her house and stole her belongings, but police in her area have completely revamped the way 911 calls are handled.

From now on, northeast patrol will closely monitor those 911 calls not dispatched within an hour, forward them to a patrol sergeant who will either send out a patrol officer immediately or return the phone call to the citizen who made the initial request for help.

"That was great, I give them 100%. 101% that they did it so soon," said Davis.

As grateful as she is for the increased police visibility in her neighborhood, Davis knows better than to think it's the answer to all her problems. That's why she installed her very own surveillance system.

This unassuming 70-year-old woman from Kashmere Gardens who took on City Hall and got the justice she so desperately wanted, is proof that even an average person can make a difference.

"You pay your bills, you live there, you go to work, stand up for something, it's yours not theirs. Stand up for your own right," said Davis.

Davis said maybe it's for the better that things happened the way they did. Police have since apologized. She said she has no hard feelings but hopes the increased police presence and the interest in her neighborhood lasts.

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