Houston Police Department
| City of Houston Police Department | |
|---|---|
Patch of the HPD | |
Badge of the Houston Police Department | |
| Common name | Houston Police Department |
| Abbreviation | HPD |
| Motto | Order through law, justice with mercy |
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | 1841 |
| Employees | 6,260 (2025) |
| Annual budget | $1 billion (2024) |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction | Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Map of City of Houston Police Department's jurisdiction | |
| Size | 601.7 square miles (1,560 km2) |
| Population | 2,326,090 (2018) |
| General nature | |
| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | 1200 Travis Downtown Houston |
| Police officers | 5,260 of 6,405 (2025) |
| Unsworn members | 1,029 |
| Elected officer responsible | |
| Agency executives |
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| Facilities | |
| Helicopters | 16 (5 on patrol) |
| Website | |
| Official site | |
The Houston Police Department (HPD) is the primary municipal law enforcement agency serving the city of Houston, Texas, United States, and some surrounding areas. Established in 1841, HPD is one of the oldest law enforcement agencies in Texas. With approximately 5,300 officers and 1,200 civilian support personnel as of 2025 it is the fifth-largest municipal police department, serving the fourth-largest city in the United States. Its headquarters are at 1200 Travis in Downtown Houston.
HPD's jurisdiction often overlaps with several other law enforcement agencies, among them the Harris County Sheriff's Office and the Harris County Constable Precincts. HPD is the largest municipal police department in Texas. The department is organized into three operational commands - Field Operations, Investigative Operations, and Strategic Operations - and divides the city into 15 patrol divisions and 2 airport divisions across 24 districts. Specialized units include SWAT, an Air Support Division consisting of 16 operational aircraft, a Mental Health Division operating one of the leading law enforcement mental health response programs in the nation, dedicated units for combating cybercrime, a dedicated human trafficking unit, and numerous homeland security units. The department operates closely with the City of Houston's Office of Policing Reform and Accountability (OPRA) in the interest of transparency and accountability. The department's annual budget exceeded US$1.07 billion in fiscal year 2025, making HPD one of the highest compensated departments in Texas following a landmark five-year collective bargaining agreement approved in May 2025.
In history, HPD has come under scrutiny for cases of police brutality, corruption, and other well known cases of misconduct.