The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office has made arrests in several high profile crimes in The Woodlands in 2009 and 2010, including some bank robberies, home invasions, and residential and car burglaries.
“These guys are out working hard for you,” Capt. Andy Eason of the District 6 office told The Woodlands Township Board at its meeting Wednesday. “Yes, there is crime. But we have been chasing them down and putting them in jail.”
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office has made several arrests in bank robberies that plagued the community last year, and now has a clearance rate of 60 percent on those cases, Eason said. But while there were 49 robberies reported in The Woodlands in 2009, it is a lot less than other areas, including Conroe which had 98, and 227 reported countywide last year, Eason said.
“Any robbery is one too many, but it is not the huge rash that we thought,” he said.
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office has targeted many of the serious crimes through specialized overtime patrols, which are not redirected to routine matters like alarms.
The local district is dedicating 224 hours a week to patrol neighborhoods at night and 32 hours during the day; 52 hours to target village centers and 28 hours for traffic enforcement. This is in addition to routine patrols, Eason said.
The overtime is being funded by 15 positions that in the process of being filled, Eason said.
Suspects have been arrested in several home invasions, including those targeting the Indian and Asian communities last year.
The sheriff has also made several arrests tied to multiple burglaries, with some of the stolen materials recovered. Deputies also arrested suspects in residential burglaries, where items were stolen while residents slept, Eason said.
The Woodlands Township is in the process of getting its own division within the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, which is expected to have 82 personnel by May. The department is in the process of adding 19 new deputies in 2010, who will patrol eight zones, one per village and one in Town Center.
Only four new deputies have been hired so far, but another 37 veteran law enforcement personnel have filed applications to join the sheriff’s office, Eason said.
The process has been slowed down because of extensive background checks done on new recruits, and Eason said he is seeing more professors, lawyers and paramedics apply for jobs.
“It’s a lengthy process that protects everybody,” Eason said.
Eason recently was named the new captain for District 6 in The Woodlands, a move that drew applause from the township board and among community leaders.
“He has been with the sheriff’s office since 1992, and he has served in almost every division,” said Chief Deputy Randy McDaniel of the sheriff’s office. “We could think of no one better to serve in that position than Andy Eason.”
Eason said new patrol cars should also be on line as the new deputies are assigned to the community, and he is completing a renovation of space at the Public Safety Building on Grogan’s Mill to accommodate the new personnel. The new employees also will include two jailers to operate the South County jail, eliminating the time needed to transport suspects to Conroe.
“We are only 27 days into the new contract,” Eason said. “Be patient. Be patient with the hiring process. It is stringent for a reason.”
The township division will use the community policing method, where deputies will be assigned to zones to get to know the residents and business and to better track crimes and trends.
“We are proud to be partners with the MCSO and we look forward to District 6 being a great success,” said Nelda Luce Blair, chairwoman of the township
The Woodlands Division 6
The Woodlands Township will get its own division within the Montgomery County Sheriff Office by May. The township will be set up in eight zones, with one per village and one in the Town Center. Harris County Constable 4 will provide service to Creekside Park. Following is the number of personnel that will be assigned to the township and those named to top positions:
Captain Andy Eason
Lieutenant David Dottei
Sargeants Jason Moore, Brady Fitzgerald, Jermaine Jenkins and Brice Herring
5 Corporals
62 Deputies
1 Detective
2 jailers / civilian
1 Clerk
5 deputies funded by Montgomery County
Source: The Woodlands Township