Precinct 3 Constable Ryan Gable began serving his first term in South Montgomery County Aug. 1, 2012, bringing with him more than 20 years of experience with the Harris County Precinct 4 Constable's Office.

Gable was a captain with Harris County and had done everything from working patrol to being considered an expert in civil and writs in the state of Texas. As a constable, he said his duties now consist of all aspects of law enforcement, including handling the court and civil processes, issuing warrants, and community policing.

"Constables in Texas basically have the ability to be your community-based police," Gable said.

What are some changes you've made since being elected to the position?

Gable said the Constable's Office has begun conducting service surveys and has constructed a new interactive website, which allows residents to receive email or text updates during vacation checks or patrol requests.

The Constable's Office has been cracking down on Internet crimes against children, making several arrests and demonstrating a need for the investigation of the crimes, Gable said. The Constable's Office also has conducted alcohol stings at every business within the precinct that sells alcohol, making 11 arrests for selling alcohol to minors.

Additionally, Precinct 3 now has an officer in the precinct 24 hours a day thanks to an initiative implemented by Gable upon taking over the position.

Working with key community leaders and churches, Gable plans to create a Victim's Assistance Unit. He said the program will not only help victims of domestic abuse, but victims of a broader range of crimes.

What long-term goals do you have ?

[I want to] look at the technology of the county and see where we can help propel that into the future. We want to make sure that our law enforcement department is cutting edge going into the future. To do that, we're going to continue our management training. We're going to continue our personnel training to keep them up-to-date on everything that's always evolving.

What is the biggest public safety concern facing Precinct 3?

Some of the biggest challenges we face are the criminals coming into our area [from Harris County] and being able to fight the number of criminals with the law enforcement we have on the streets today. South County is a target-rich environment, because this is where the population is, this is where the mall is, this is where all the banks are.

How can you address that issue?

We have [district personnel] working on rotations, and we have them work traffic initiatives so they're making traffic contacts. They're checking people coming in and out of the county, and if they're wanted, they're getting arrested. We'll do it in sections, whether it be the I-45 corridor or the [FM] 1488 or the [Hwy.] 242 area, the Rayford Road area. We have a Public Safety Task Force between the District Attorney's Office, the Sheriff's Office and all the constable agencies up here that work given areas for narcotics and DWI.