Lt. Charles Hoover of the Harris County Precinct 4 Constable's Office talks with Spring and Klein residents at the first monthly Coffee with a Cop[/caption]

The first monthly Coffee with a Cop, hosted by the Spring Klein Chamber of Commerce, was held Wednesday morning.

Representing the Harris County Precinct 4 Constable’s Office and taking questions were Capt. Ronnie Glaze, Sgt. Mike Ruby and Lt. Charles Hoover. They discussed pertinent issues affecting Spring and Klein this month, such as robberies, car burglaries and solicitors.

Glaze reported a local Subway sandwich shop and a Wells Fargo Bank near the FM 1960 Wal-Mart were recently robbed.

“I attribute it to the population growth, and it’s going to continue to grow at an alarming rate out here,” Glaze said. “With growth comes criminal activity.”

He said the number of robberies has increased too much and stressed that residents call 911 if they are witnessing a crime, or call 281-376-3472 for less urgent criminal matters.

“If you see something that’s out of the ordinary please call,” Glaze said.

Although robberies are up slightly, car burglaries are another problem in Spring and Klein. Glaze said 90 percent of the time a theft of items inside cars occurs, the victim has left the car unlocked.

When items are in plain view, thieves will be lured to steal them, said Hoover.

“The bad guys are out roaming the parking lots every day,” Hoover said. “If they see it, they’ll smash and go.”

Myeshi Briley, Spring Klein Chamber of Commerce president, asked what the officers are doing about human trafficking in the area.

Glaze said there is a regulatory division assigned to crime related to human trafficking.

“Our regulatory unit is busy 24 hours a day, seven days a week, trying to stay on top of it,” Glaze said. “You don’t see too much of it on television because we don’t want them to see us coming. We’ve got a couple of spots up here that we are actively looking at.”

Hoover said the buildings where human trafficking takes place, such as massage parlors, breed other criminal activity, such as illegal drug activity.

“Not only is there illegal activity going on there, but it brings other people in that area to commit other crimes,” Hoover said.

An attendee asked about graffiti and the problems it creates in the area. Hoover said if graffiti is discovered that residents let the business or property owner know about it.

“If the graffiti stays up, it just promotes a breeding ground for others,” Hoover said. “Don’t just assume someone else has said something. Don’t be the person that drives by something and thinks someone else will call.”

Glaze stressed that phone calls to dispatch will remain anonymous upon request.

Another attendee asked about solicitors at personal residences. Glaze advised soliciting in Texas is not illegal and that residents can post a “no soliciting” sign on the front door and advise solicitors through a closed door they are not interested. If a resident tells the solicitor to leave and the solicitor remains, it becomes a crime at that point, and residents should report the noncompliant solicitor as soon as possible.

“As neighbors, let’s look out for each other,” Hoover said. “Instead of one person trying to solve everything, we’ve got each other to try to help each other out.”

The next Coffee with a Cop takes place Feb. 15. It is held the third Wednesday of every month at 9:15 a.m. at the McDonald’s at 5827 FM 2920.