Frequently Asked Questions

What are the days and hours that the deputy will be on duty in our neighborhood?

We have a contract that provides for a Deputy from Harris County Precinct 1 to patrol our neighborhoods. The specific days and hours will vary from time to time. In order to have the most impact on crime deterrence, the schedule is determined through collaboration with the Constable’s office and the Security Coordinator for VC Security Foundation. The specific schedules are kept confidential to prevent the “bad guys” from knowing when our neighborhood is patrolled.

How do I report suspicious activity or report a crime?

Current Subscribers should contact the Precinct 1 Constable’s Dispatch directly. This number is available 24/7 and was provided to you, via email,when you subscribed to the program. If you cannot locate the Constable’s Dispatch number, please contact: info@vcpatrol.com.

When should I call 911, and when should I call the Constable Dispatch?

Residents should always use 911 for any life threatening situation requiring police, fire, or ambulance response, or if there is a crime in progress.

A “crime in progress” is something the caller is witnessing at the time. For example, a home is being broken into; someone is being mugged, robbed, beaten, abducted, or there is a major accident with injuries.

All 911 calls go directly to the City of Houston for response. Because it is a 911 emergency call, the City of Houston will send the appropriate resources.

The City of Houston will recognize that our neighborhood has a contract with the Precinct 1 Constable’s office on their mapping system, and the City will notify the Constable’s Dispatch of the emergency situation. However, to be sure there is no breakdown in communication, after calling 911, we suggest calling the Constable Dispatch to be sure the Constable is also informed and will dispatch units.

As a rule, if a resident is ever in doubt of whether to call 911 or the Constable Dispatch, always go on the side of caution and call 911. The 911 call dispatchers are well trained and if the call needs to be downgraded based on the caller’s information, the 911 dispatcher will drop the call down to a lower priority.

Use the Constable’s Dispatch number for non-life threatening calls, where there is no imminent threat of injury to the caller and there are no suspects on scene that may cause harm.

For example, incidents such as coming home and finding your home has been burglarized; your car has been broken into; theft of property from your garage, packages, bicycles, yard equipment; solicitors, suspicious persons or vehicles in the area; loud noise disturbances; aggressive animals, etc. Most of these calls are “after the fact” calls where the offense has already occurred and the suspect(s) has left the scene.

What if I report a crime outside of the deputy’s patrol hours for our neighborhood?

As described above, residents should call the Constable’s Dispatch number or 911, depending on the urgency of the incident.

If a call comes into the Constable’s Dispatch outside the on-duty hours of our regular contract deputy, the Constable’s Dispatch will use a neighboring patrol unit, a district unit or an on-duty supervisor to answer the call.

When our deputy is on duty and in our immediate contract area, the response will be very good, usually 3 – 4 minutes. If the deputy is off duty and another unit takes the call, that can increase the response time due to travel, traffic or whatever call the responding deputy may be on at the time that he needs to complete.

How does Precinct 1 work with HPD?

Since taking command at Precinct 1, Constable Rosen has projected this agency into a better, more proactive law enforcement agency, and this has been recognized by the other law enforcement agencies in Harris County. The Constable’s deputies work well with HPD and the Sheriff’s Office throughout the precinct. They have radio access to HPD and HCSO so each can monitor the other’s channels, ask for backup or provide backup for these agencies when needed. The Constables are on the same computer reporting system as the City and County agencies. They work well not only with their patrol officers, but also with their detective divisions, primarily for burglaries.

What if I see a deputy or HPD responding to a call in our area and I want to find out what is going on. Who should I call?

Specifics of crimes and other activities of the deputies will not be generally discussed. This is both to preserve the privacy of the parties involved and to prevent divulging information that may be useful to those persons intent on committing crimes in our neighborhood.

The Security Coordinator will get a copy of the deputy’s monthly activity that occurred inside the contract boundaries. To preserve privacy, this information will be in summary format only. The data will be reviewed by VC Security Foundation’s Board to determine the effectiveness of the program, and may be provided to the general membership on a periodic basis.

How is VC Security Foundation ensuring the program is working the way it was intended?

The Foundation receives monthly activity reports from the Constable’s office, which the Board and the Security Coordinator review to evaluate the program. Any questions or concerns are addressed by the Foundation and the Security Coordinator with the Constable’s office. The contract deputy will stay in contact with the Security Coordinator on a regular basis.

How do I contact VC Security Foundation?

Please email general questions and/or comments to info@vcpatrol.com.
Please email security questions and/or comments security@vcpatrol.com.