HPD in personnel matters warns people not to follow up on stolen property unless the case can be reviewed

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — The Houston Police Department warns you not to try to return stolen items. They experience staffing problems, which means that not every crime will be evaluated.

Christian Briones recently had his car stolen, and now he’s wondering if he’ll ever be able to get it back.

“It feels like we’re on our own,” Briones said.

Briones went to practice Monday morning and returned to his stolen car. Fortunately, his wallet, which contained the Apple Air Tag, was inside the car.

“I put it in 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’s jurisdiction and called the police. He waited on the block to show the house to the police. Ten hours later, he said, he finally got a call from the police asking if he still wanted help.

“It’s obvious. What do you think? I’m here without a car and of course I need help,” Briones said.

Briones said that as far as he knows, the police have not yet done anything in his case. In a recent PSA, HPD said the number of people tracking their stolen property is on the rise and they want people to stop it.

“Avoid confrontation with the suspect, even if you know who it is. Intruding into a volatile situation can make things worse,” the HPD video advises.

It’s safe, common sense advice that people should follow, but those ABC13 spoke with aren’t sure they’ll ever get their stuff back if they follow that advice.

“I feel like it’s a no-brainer at this point. I don’t think it’s going to happen,” Briones said.

Former HPD Acting Chief Larry Satterwhite said earlier this year, amid the ongoing scandal over the suspended case, that they don’t have the manpower to investigate all property crimes.

“We don’t have enough to do all the crimes,” Satterwhite said.

According to GVS data, 99,123 property crimes were registered in 2023, but only 5,664, or about 5.7%, were solved. There were 68,671 reports of property crime this year, but only 3,648, or about 5.3%, were solved.

ABC13 asked HPD about the cases they cannot investigate, but they did not respond. They only sent a statement that said:

“The Houston Police Department takes every crime in the city seriously. While we prioritize protecting life and reducing violent crime, we recognize that the vast majority of crimes reported to HPD are property crimes. Like many other law enforcement agencies, HPD faces staffing challenges in patrol and investigations that are well documented and directly impact these challenges, we use technology and actively collaborate with other agencies and our community to maximize our resources, and we encourage citizens to report any crimes.”

For more news updates follow Lileana Pearson Facebook, X and Instagram.