Harold L. Hurtt is an Assistant Director at the

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE; ) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Homeland Security. ICE's stated mission is to protect the Un ...

(ICE) for the Office of State, Local and Tribal Coordination, which consists of outreach programs and communications coordination between various outside law enforcement agencies. Hurtt previously served as police chief of the

Houston Police Department The Houston Police Department (HPD) is the primary municipal law enforcement agency serving the city of Houston, Texas, United States, and some surrounding areas. With approximately 5,300 officers and 1,200 civilian support personnel it is the fi ...

from 2004 until 2009.

Career

In 1992, he became Chief of Police for the

Oxnard Oxnard () is a city in Ventura County in the U.S. state of California, United States. On California's Central Coast (California), Central Coast, it is the most populous city in Ventura County and the List of largest California cities by populati ...

Police Department in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, and then in 1998 was appointed Chief of the

Phoenix Police Department The Phoenix Police Department is the law enforcement agency responsible for the city of Phoenix, Arizona. As of May 2024, the Phoenix Police Department comprises just over 2,500 officers, some 625 below authorized strength of 3,125 and more than ...

. In 2004, Hurtt was selected as police chief of the

until his resignation in 2009. In 2010, Hurtt was appointed to lead the OSLTC of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Education

Hurtt earned a

B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

sociology Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...

from

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...

in 1977 and an

M.A. A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

in organizational management from the

University of Phoenix University of Phoenix (UoPX) is a Private university, private For-profit higher education in the United States, for-profit university headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. Founded in 1976, the university confers certificates and degrees at the Ac ...

in 1991.

Career highlights

Dress code and facial hair controversy

Shortly after taking office in Houston, Hurtt required police to cover up

tattoos A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the Human skin, skin to form a design. Tattoo artists create these designs using several Process of ...

with long sleeves, if needed. Additionally, he required all facial hair to be removed, citing that it would prevent gas masks to be used effectively. This resulted in a group of African American officers filing a lawsuit claiming that they have skin conditions called Pseudofolliculitis barbae or Acne keloidalis nuchae that make it painful to shave. The city supported Chief Hurtt's new policy and approved $150,000 for legal defense against the suit. The suit was eventually tossed out.

Tasers

Houston became the first major city in the nation to fully arm the entire police department with tasers with an authorization of $4.7 million in November 2004, the result of a controversial shooting the previous year. Chief Hurtt hoped to reduce police shootings as he had as Chief of the Phoenix Police Department.

Evidence facility compromised

Due to several cases of missing evidence, including missing drugs and guns, Hurtt eventually ordered the construction of a new evidence building, which was completed in 2009.

Crime Lab

Chief Hurtt was initially brought in to help reorganize a crime lab after scandals that left many cases suspect. Within two years, the crime lab regained its accreditation and returned to full operation.

Mobility Response Team

On July 2, 2007, Houston Mayor White and Chief Hurtt unveiled the Mobility Response Team (MRT). The new teams were designed to respond to various traffic issues around the

Downtown Houston Downtown is the largest central business district in the city of Houston and the largest in the state of Texas, located near the geographic center of the metropolitan area at the confluence of Interstate 10 in Texas, Interstate 10, Interstate 45 ...

area and free up police officers who would otherwise direct traffic around accidents and major events. The department was started with 21 personnel and an annual $1.8 million budget. On March 3, 2009 March 3, a series of investigative reports by KTRK's Wayne Dolcefino questioned effectiveness, ethics, and work practices of the Mobility Response Team. After the report, one supervisor had been reassigned and the entire MRT unit faced an internal affairs investigation.

Criticism

Hurtt has faced criticism for his policies condoning

illegal immigration Illegal immigration is the migration of people into a country in violation of that country's immigration laws, or the continuous residence in a country without the legal right to do so. Illegal immigration tends to be financially upward, wi ...

. These policies included refusing to hand over arrested illegal aliens to

Immigration and Customs Enforcement The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE; ) is a federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Homeland Security. ICE's stated mission is to protect the United States from transnational crime and ille ...

(ICE), causing some to designate Houston a

sanctuary city A sanctuary city is a municipality that limits or denies its cooperation with the national government in enforcing immigration law. Proponents of sanctuary cities cite motives such as reducing the fear of persons which illegally immigrated fr ...

. In 2006, Houston police officer Rodney Johnson was shot four times in the head during a routine traffic stop by a once-deported illegal immigrant who had been arrested and released three times in the city. His widow, Joslyn Johnson, herself a sergeant in the Houston Police Department, filed suit against Hurtt, the city and the police department, stating that the department's failure to discover the gunman's immigration status and report him to federal authorities enabled him to stay "at large" in the country. Hurtt's policies have been blamed for enabling illegal immigrants to kill two police officers and seriously injure another in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

before he left in 2005.

Resignation

It was reported that during the 2009 Houston Mayoral Election, candidates

Peter Hoyt Brown Peter Hoyt Brown (October 16, 1936 – December 12, 2017) was a politician who held office as an at-large council member in the city of Houston, Texas. Known locally as "Peter Brown," he was a candidate for the 2009 Houston mayoral race, to succee ...

Annise Parker Annise Danette Parker (born May 17, 1956) is an American politician from the state of Texas. A Democrat, Parker served as the 61st Mayor of Houston, Texas, from 2010 until 2016. She also served as an at-large member of the Houston City Council ...

, and

Roy Morales Roy or Roi is a masculine given name and a family surname with varied origins. France In France, this family name originated from the Normans, the descendants of Norse Vikings who migrated to Amigny, a commune in Manche, Normandy.. The deriva ...

said that they would replace Hurtt if they become mayor. Upon Annise Parker's win, Hurtt tendered his resignation on December 15, which became effective on December 30. Hurtt was replaced with interim police chief, Charles McClelland, a 33-year veteran of the force.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hurtt, Harold Houston Police Department chiefs Living people People from Campbell County, Virginia Arizona State University alumni University of Phoenix alumni Year of birth missing (living people)