HPD outlines new state laws, $10 million equipment appropriation and impacts for Houston policing

Jessica Anderson, executive assistant chief of the Houston Police Department, told the City Council Public Safety Committee on Oct. 15 that HPD tracked roughly 1,400 bills this legislative session and that about 180 of those measures passed into law.

Anderson said HPD’s legislative team works alongside the City’s intergovernmental relations staff to review bills before, during and after the session, supply subject‑matter expertise to state lawmakers, and raise concerns about proposals that could adversely affect department operations.

The department highlighted a subset of enacted measures it believes will affect Houston policing. Among the items noted were House Bill 33 (the “Uvalde Strong” measure) requiring standardized active‑shooter training and post‑incident responsibilities for school districts and school law‑enforcement; House Bill 1261, which modernizes publication requirements for abandoned or unclaimed property by allowing online notice in lieu of newspaper publication; and House Bill 1902, which creates a penal code offense addressing “jugging,” a form of predatory theft HPD said has spread beyond Houston.

Anderson and Lieutenant Nathan…