Clarence O'Neal "C.O." Bradford, known as Brad Bradford during his campaign for Harris Country District Attorney, is an American politician who served as a

Houston City Council The Houston City Council is a city council for the city of Houston in the U.S. state of Texas. The Council has sixteen members: eleven from council districts and five elected at-large. The members of the Council are elected every four years, wi ...

member and as chief of police of

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

. In 2008, Bradford was an unsuccessful Democratic Party candidate for

District Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...

Harris County, Texas Harris County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 4,731,145, and was estimated to be 5,009,302 in 2024, making it the List of counties in Texas, most populous cou ...

. On November 3, 2009, Bradford was elected to the

from At-large Position 4 and took office January 2, 2010. In the 2011 election, Bradford won a second term as a Houston City Council member.

Biography

Bradford holds degrees in law from the

University of Houston Law Center The University of Houston Law Center is the Law school in the United States, law school of the University of Houston in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1947, the Law Center is one of 12 colleges of the University of Houston, a state university. It is ...

, criminal justice from

Grambling State University Grambling State University (GSU, Grambling, or Grambling State) is a public historically black university in Grambling, Louisiana, United States. Grambling State is home of the Eddie G. Robinson Museum and is listed on the Louisiana African ...

, and a public administration degree from

Texas Southern University Texas Southern University (Texas Southern or TSU) is a Public university, public Historically black colleges and universities, historically Black university in Houston. The university is a member school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund an ...

. Also, he is a graduate of the

FBI Academy The FBI Academy is the Federal Bureau of Investigation's law enforcement training and research center near the town of Quantico in Prince William County, Virginia. The academy occupies 547 acres (221 ha) on the US Marine Corps Base Quantico. It ...

and Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government Program for State and Local Executives. He became a resident of the city of Houston in 1979. Bradford has lived in Hiram Clarke, Alief,

Fondren Southwest Brays Oaks, formerly known as Fondren Southwest, is an area in Southwest Houston, Southwest Houston, Texas, United States. The Brays Oaks Management District, also known as the Harris County Improvement District #5, governs the Brays Oaks area ...

, and MacGregor areas. Bradford worked as a Houston police officer for 24 years including seven years as chief of police. He was appointed Houston's police chief in 1996 by Mayor

Bob Lanier Robert Jerry Lanier Jr. (September 10, 1948 – May 10, 2022) was an American professional basketball player. He played center (basketball), center for the Detroit Pistons and the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). L ...

and re-appointed by Mayor Lee P. Brown. While serving as chief of police, Bradford managed 7,000 personnel and $500 million annual budget. During his tenure, fear of crime declined by the time he left office in 2003 although overall crime increased at a greater rate than the city population. As a Houston City Council member, Bradford focused on the delivery of core services which include water, garbage, infrastructure issues and safety services. In addition to serving on the Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee, he served as chair of the Ethics, Elections and Council Governance Committee, vice chair of the Budget and Fiscal Affairs Committee and chaired a City of Houston Procurement Process Task Force. In January 2012, members of the

elected Bradford as vice mayor pro-tem via unanimous vote.

Personal life

Bradford’s civic activities include serving as a precinct chair, election judge, and deputy voter registrar in Harris County, Texas. He holds memberships and volunteers in numerous community activities, including the ENRICH After-School (Evaluating the Out-of-School-Time Needs, Resources and Initiatives in the Communities of Houston) Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, Education Foundation of Harris County, American Education Technologies Youth Counselor, Grambling State University's Criminal Justice Advisory Board, Wiley College Criminal Justice Institute, DeVry University Industry Advisory Board, 100 Club, Harris County Constable Precinct 7 Advisory Board and frequently serves as a university guest lecturer, crime prevention and safety awareness speaker.

References

External links

Clarence Bradford Campaign website.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bradford, Clarence Houston Police Department chiefs Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Politicians from Houston Texas Democrats Harvard Kennedy School alumni University of Houston alumni Grambling State University alumni Texas Southern University alumni