To enhance the quality of life in the city of Houston by working cooperatively with the public to prevent crime, enforce the law, preserve the peace, and provide a safe environment.
Chief of Houston Police Department
Charles A. McClellan Jr. was sworn on April 14, 2010. He joined the department in 1,977 as a patrol officer. He has dedicated 37 years of his life to the service of the HPD, touching almost every aspect of law enforcement throughout his career.
Chief McClellan holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminology and a Master of Arts degree in Sociology from the University of Houston. He has graduated from Federal Bureau of Investigation National Executive Institute and has received numerous awards and commendations.
He was born
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In 1837 the city began making accommodations to bring law and order to the rough and tumble frontier town with hiring of the first constables.
1841 Houston elected its first City Marshal; formed and organized the Houston Police Department.
From 1841 to 1868 Houston had a number of City Marshals, but at the conclusion of the Civil War, the Union Army installed a provost marshal so by 1868 Houston had two marshals as a result of the difficulties and darkest of times the city of Houston and the United States went through during the civil
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The city jail hired the first Police Matron to discontinue the practice of male police personnel supervising female prisoners.
By 1907 the roster of the department included 68 officers and a female matron.
1909 the Houston Police Department purchased it first motor vehicle, motorcycle and in 1910 purchased it first police car; the same year while J.M. Ray was the Chief of Police, the communication improved dramatically with the installation of a Game well police call boxes.
In 1914 Houston formed the first Civil Service Commission and the HPD revised the rules manual and publish minimum standard for the police officers.
In 1917 occurred one of the darkness events in the history of the department, 5 police officers were killed by members of an army infantry battalion on a temporary duty. These black soldiers who have been suffering under the segregation and inequality Jim Crow laws from the south heard an untrue rumor that a police officer had killed one of the soldiers and these has exploded into violence that reverberated from Houston to Washington D.C. These events influenced positive changes in the police and the community