Fire Chief Tom Munoz and a senior Houston Police Department speaker told the District E town hall that recent staffing and training efforts have produced measurable improvements in operations.

Munoz, introduced as chief of the Houston Fire Department, said staffing, stations and apparatus were his top priorities on taking the post. He said the department graduated its largest recruiting class in history and has worked with recruitment programs for veterans and SkillBridge participants. He said apparatus outages have declined — for example, where the department saw 104 out-of-service events one August before the current administration, the comparable August this year showed three — and described new safety positions and expanded use of technology such as drones for situational awareness.

A senior representative of the Houston Police Department reported improved staffing and response metrics. The speaker said the department’s priority-1 response average is below six minutes for the first time in about a dozen years and that HPD has roughly 5,300 sworn officers citywide. He said 194 cadets were in training and 76 recruits were signed to start soon. The officer also described targeted enforcement work in Clear Lake: vice and narcotics teams closed seven after‑hours clubs inspected in the area and closed several illegal game rooms, and the department reported arrests tied to “bank‑jogging” and predatory thefts — 20 suspects arrested in recent months on related charges.

Phil Sandlin, Constable for Precinct 8, told residents his office shares information daily with Houston police and said Clear Lake is among the safer parts of the county. Captain Derek Small, the new Clear Lake HPD captain, reviewed local hot spots and told residents the department used crime mapping to direct enforcement; he said nonviolent crimes in the area are down about 10% year to date while violent crime is down about 24% compared with a prior period.

All speakers credited recent labor agreements, federal and state funding, and administrative collaboration for enabling the recruitment, training and equipment purchases they described. Chief Munoz said the fire academy’s recent classes posted high pass rates on state EMT/fire certifications.

Speakers asked residents to use HBPD/HFD reporting channels and to secure valuables (Constable Sandlin emphasized not leaving guns or valuables in vehicles), and they described ongoing community partnership work including homeless‑encampment cleanups and nuisance-property enforcement.