HPD staffing is up compared to 2024, but still far from fully staffed

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- An ABC13 open records request found that only two slots are fully staffed at the Houston Police Department: the chief and executive chief. Once you get into roles that require more than one person to fill, the numbers start dropping off.

Being a police officer in the City of Houston is a tall order. There is no shortage of headline-making crime, let alone the important work of wellness checks, and doing all the paperwork along with it.

HPD Union president Doug Griffith said that to be on call 24/7, in danger, away from your family, and under intense public scrutiny can make recruiting and keeping people on the force hard.

"There are a lot more nuances that go with policing today that we didn't have 30 years ago," Griffith said.

According to records obtained by ABC13, the department is authorized to have 6,405 positions, but only 5,260 of which are filled, leaving the department down 1,200 people. And it's not just the lowest-ranking officers that the department can't get enough of. The third-highest-ranking job, executive assistant chief, only has three of its five slots filled.

But when you compare the vacant positions to this time last year, we're actually in better shape by about 100 people.

"We lose about 250 a year to attrition, and that's just the average of any major department like this. So when we see that we have a gain of any magnitude, that's great for us," Griffith said.

RELATED: Houston Police chief says staffing still an issue as investigation into suspended cases continues

Griffith believes the biggest hurdle to getting people onto the force, overlooking cons, and staying, is their pocketbooks.

"There are some agencies, especially the smaller ones, that can pay a ton more to have officers work for them. When you only have 20, 30, 40 officers, you can pay them much more than when you have a 5,000-man department like we have," Griffith said.

Austin and Fort Worth will start people at $70 while HPD starts them at $55. The union is currently negotiating with the city for higher pay. It's a negotiation Griffith seems to have a positive outlook on.

"The mayor has committed that he's going to do his best to make us one of the highest paid, and I think that will help with retention and recruitment," Griffith said.

It's positivity much needed after HPD's recent blowback for suspending a quarter million cases with a controversial code because there wasn't enough staff available to investigate them.

READ MORE: Houston Police Department releases long-awaited report on suspended cases scandal

HPD did not make someone available to speak with us on Tuesday, but sent a statement that read:

"The Houston Police Department is seeking individuals who are driven to protect and uplift the people of Houston. In addition to hosting Hiring Expos, our dedicated recruiters regularly visit universities and community events across the city and surrounding areas, actively searching for the next generation of committed officers. Our officers are among the best-trained in the nation, and we encourage anyone passionate about making a difference in their community to take the next step. Please visit HPDcareer.com to learn more and join our ranks."

Griffith said he would like to see more high schoolers recruited to start working civilian jobs at 18, hoping that will create a pool of applicants the police force can pull from and fast-track onto the force.

Currently, HPD has 1,020 civilian jobs filled and 185 vacant positions. Civilian jobs range from forensic artists to web designers and even a horse stable attendant.

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