After 5 Years, Houston’s 1st Black Police Chief Is Still Firmly in Charge

When newly-elected Mayor Kathy Whitmire named Lee Patrick Brown as her choice for Houston police chief, shock waves and rage swept through the force.

He would be the first outsider in 42 years to head the department.

He would be the city’s sixth chief in as many years.

He would be leading a 3,200-member force viewed by some as brutal and racist.

And he would be the first black person to hold the job.

A police union publicly announced that it would rather see Brown remain in Atlanta where he was public safety commissioner.

“I suspect that I’m one of the few people who are blessed,” he says now, five years later. “I’m doing what I want to do and I’m sitting where I want to be. I feel excited about coming to work every day.”

Despite the initial antagonism and multitude of problems, Brown says he had no doubt that he would succeed in Houston.

“Houston was plagued by having a rapid turnover in police chiefs with no sustained direction. The biggest thing I found was that members of the department wanted to be respected and wanted to do a good job,” Brown said from behind his big oak desk at the downtown headquarters. “The primary task I had initially was to make sure that we provided them with that direction.”

His first chores were assessing the department and planning how to correct problems.

The assessment concluded that the department had difficulty hiring and keeping officers and that it had problems in management and operations.

When Brown took over April 19, 1982, 8.5% of the police force was black and 8.2% was Latino. The 1980 census showed that Houston’s population was 18.21% black, 14.46% Latino.

In the supervisory ranks, three lieutenants and 29 sergeants were Latino and 15 sergeants were black, contrasted with 90 lieutenants and 567 sergeants of English-speaking European descent.

Blacks now make up 13.6% of the force, Latinos 10.9%. One black and two Latinos are now captains, while three blacks and seven Latinos are lieutenants. There are 39 black, 52 Latino and 710 white sergeants.

To make officers more accessible to the public, Brown also opened storefront police stations. “In the police force you have to have the community involvement of the people,” the 49-year-old chief said.

In May, he received a national leadership award for the storefront plan, which has become a model for police departments around the country.

Whitmire’s appointment of Brown has been one of the mayor’s smartest moves, says political analyst Richard Murray of the University of Houston.

“She went through a tough campaign and in the runoff (election) got 95% of the black vote and that elected her. She needed to solidify that position and she got a lot of confidence on that behalf by appointing Brown.”

The mayor said she knew that Brown would face opposition from officers because he was an outsider and the department was set in its ways.

“I had no doubts after meeting Lee Brown that he could handle the job,” she said. “Now, I couldn’t be more pleased with Chief Brown. He’s been a good chief for the office, the citizens and for all of the community.”

Brown was approached about the Houston job by a search firm hired by the city.

“I told them I was happy in Atlanta and not in the job market and had no intentions of leaving,” the chief said. “But they were very persistent.”

The courtship lasted several weeks before he met Whitmire and decided to accept.

Brown’s resume didn’t just include his position as public safety commissioner in Atlanta. He also has a doctorate in criminology, master’s degrees in criminology and sociology and a bachelor’s degree in criminology. He started his law enforcement career in San Jose, Calif., in 1961.

Brown, married and the father of four, says he is content in Houston and insists that he has no intention of leaving his $90,000-a-year job.

“I expect to be here at least 14 years and 11 months,” he said, grinning. “Then I’ll be eligible for retirement.”

One complaint lodged against Brown is that he is not easily accessible to employees because of frequent business trips.

He acknowledges his national obligations, serving as a vice president of the International Assn. of Chiefs of Police, but says he tries to make his trips on weekends.

“Houston should not have a police department that is isolated from the rest of the world,” he added.

Mark Clark, head of the 2,500-member Houston Police Officer’s Assn., says although he and the chief often are at odds, Brown “is a very good chief. He has been burdened and faced with the city budget and he has taken up for his officers.”

“We’ve had our share of problems,” Clark said. “But, notwithstanding, I like the guy. He’s brought about a lot of progressive ideas to Houston.