After taking over as captain of the Kingwood Division of the Houston Police department in November, Colin Weatherly has focused on becoming more present in the community and creating a family atmosphere at the station. From meeting with community leaders, Weatherly said it is important he knows the intricacies of the Lake Houston area and residents recognize his face. In addition to Kingwood, this division of the HPD also provides law enforcement services to Summerwood and Huffman. Before moving to the Kingwood division, Weatherly worked with several divisions, including the Robbery and Jail divisions.

What areas do you think the Kingwood Division could improve on?

Just getting out to know the residents—it’s a struggle. Building that community relationship is tough because we still have to, within a certain amount of time, solve crimes but also take a minute to get to know the neighbors and build that bond. If the community trusts you, they’re more willing to give you information.

What issues do you believe the Lake Houston area faces currently?

Since we’re so close to major freeways, a lot of our criminals here are not what I would [call] residents of this area. They come from other areas, commit their crimes and then go back to where they live. That’s where getting to know your neighbors and what type of car they drive, who lives there and who doesn’t will help out.

What will be your top initiatives during your time in Kingwood?

I plan on starting what I call a minister’s partnership—I have my first meeting next month. Getting some of the local pastors together for quarterly meetings for them to pray for us and for us to pray for them. I think the churches are a very valid and very strong part of the community. The pastors have a ton of power from the pulpit, and if we work together with them, what they can push down to their congregations can be a huge help to us as officers.

[Other initiatives include] trying to tackle different crimes depending on the holidays, burglary and motor vehicles [and providing] more education.

The biggest thing is our crooks here, they like to [walk through neighborhoods and] go pull up door handles. If you leave your car outside your garage, many people forget to lock their cars. The sense of security because your car is in your driveway, for a criminal, is an opportunity for them to pick and choose very easily without even having to break windows. More education helps us help you not become a victim.

What parts of your job are you passionate about?

I like to create a family atmosphere, especially at my station. We’re a small enough division, and I would love for this to be a family place. I’m passionate about being out in the community. It shows a lot when your supervisors are out there on the street with your officers doing the same thing. You know, no rank is above directing traffic. If the boss is out there directing traffic, the officers see that, and it goes a long way.