The Woodlands year-end law enforcement report shows most major crimes down; assault, fraud rose in 2020

Capt. Tim Holifield of the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office told The Woodlands Township board of directors Jan. 27 that the reduced number of police incidents in 2020 compared to the previous year was an anomaly due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Holifield presented a summary of 2020 law enforcement calls from the sheriff’s office and from Harris County Precinct 4 Constable’s Office at the meeting. About 10% of The Woodland Township is in Harris County in the Village of Creekside Park.

“We had unprecedented restrictions on people which resulted in fewer calls for service,” Holifield said. “We started seeing effects of restrictions in March and April. ... You see calls for service increase in December as people started to visit local establishments, ... and we see more activities on our roadways,” Holifield said.

He said law enforcement interactions are beginning to return to their usual pattern.

The categories in which reports increased in 2020 compared to 2019 included assault and forgery or fraud. Holifield cautioned residents to take care of their personal information to guard against theft and cybercrime.

Areas in which crime was down included burglary and theft. Incidents of suicide or attempted suicide increased in 2020 to 71, up from 65 in 2019.