HPD asks people not to confront theft suspects as tens of thousands of cases remain unsolved

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The Houston Police Department is warning you not to try to retrieve your stolen items. They are experiencing staffing issues, which means not every crime will be evaluated.

Christian Briones recently had his car stolen and now wonders if he will ever get it back.

"It feels like we are on our own," Briones said.

Briones went for an early Monday morning workout and returned to his stolen car. Thankfully, his wallet, which contained an Apple Air Tag, was inside the vehicle.

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"I put it on my wallet just in case. I feel like people steal wallets all the time, or you might lose it somewhere," Briones said.

He tracked the Air Tag to a home in HPD jurisdiction and called the police. He waited down the block to point the house out to officers. After ten hours, he said he finally received a call from the police asking if he still wanted help.

"It's obvious. What do you think? I'm here carless, and of course, I need help," Briones said.

Briones said that, as far as he knew, the police still hadn't done anything in his case. In a recent PSA, HPD said that people tracking their stolen property is on the rise, and they want people to stop.

"Avoid confronting the suspect even if you know who it is. Stepping into a volatile situation can make things worse," the HPD video advises.

It's safe, smart advice people should follow, but those ABC13 talked to aren't confident they'll ever get their stuff back if they follow the advice.

"I feel like it's pointless at this point. I feel like it ain't going to happen," Briones said.

SEE ALSO: Fed up with mail thefts, woman ships Apple AirTag to herself as bait, catches suspects

Former acting HPD Chief Larry Satterwhite said earlier this year, during the ongoing suspended cases scandal, that they do not have the manpower to investigate all property crimes.

"We don't have enough to do all crimes," Satterwhite said.

According to HPD data, in 2023, 99,123 property crimes were reported, but only 5,664, or about 5.7%, were cleared. So far this year, there have been 68,671 property crime reports, but only 3,648, or about 5.3%, have been cleared.

ABC13 asked HPD about cases they couldn't investigate, but they did not answer. They sent only a statement that said:

"The Houston Police Department takes every crime in the city seriously. While we prioritize protecting lives and reducing violent crime, we recognize the vast majority of crimes reported to HPD are property crimes. Like many law enforcement agencies, HPD faces staffing challenges in patrol and investigations, which are well-documented and directly impact clearance rates. To address these challenges, we leverage technology and actively collaborate with other agencies and our community to maximize our resources. Prevention is crucial, and we encourage citizens to report any crime."

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