Lee Brown | |
---|---|
59th Mayor of Houston | |
In office January 2, 1998 –January 2, 2004 | |
Preceded by | Bob Lanier |
Succeeded by | Bill White |
Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy | |
In office July 19,1993 –January 1996 | |
President | Bill Clinton |
Preceded by | John Walters (Acting) |
Succeeded by | Barry McCaffrey |
Police Commissioner of New York City | |
In office January 22,1990 –September 1,1992 | |
Appointed by | David Dinkins |
Preceded by | Richard Condon |
Succeeded by | Ray Kelly |
Police Chief of Houston | |
In office 1982–1990 | |
Appointed by | Kathy Whitmire |
Preceded by | B.K. Johnson |
Succeeded by | Elizabeth Watson |
Personal details | |
Born | Wewoka,Oklahoma,U.S. | October 4,1937
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse(s) | Yvonne Brown (1959–1992) Frances Young (1996–present) |
Children | 4 |
Education | California State University,Fresno (BS) San Jose State University (MA) University of California,Berkeley (MS,PhD) |
Lee Patrick Brown (born October 4,1937) is an American politician,criminologist and businessman;in 1997 he was the first African-American to be elected mayor of Houston,Texas. He was re-elected twice to serve the maximum of three terms from 1998 to 2004.
He has had a long career in law enforcement and academia;leading police departments in Atlanta,Houston and New York over the course of nearly four decades. With practical experience and a doctorate from University of California,Berkeley,he has combined research and operations in his career. After serving as Public Safety Commissioner of Atlanta,Georgia,he was appointed in 1982 as the first African-American police chief in Houston,Texas,where he implemented techniques in community policing to reduce crime.
His parents,Andrew and Zelma Brown were sharecroppers in Oklahoma,and Lee Brown was born in Wewoka. His family,including five brothers and one sister,moved to California in the second wave of the Great Migration and his parents continued as farmers. A high school athlete,Brown earned a football scholarship to Fresno State University,where he earned a B.S. in criminology in 1960. That year he started as a police officer in San Jose,California,where he served for eight years. Brown was elected as the president of the San Jose Police Officers' Association (union) and served from 1965 to 1966.
Brown went on to earn a master's degree in sociology from San JoséState University in 1964,and became an assistant professor there in 1968. He also earned a second master's degree in criminology from University of California,Berkeley in 1968. In the same year,he moved to Portland,Oregon,where he established and served as chairman of the Department of Administration of Justice at Portland State University. [1]
In 1972,Brown was appointed associate director of the Institute of Urban Affairs and Research and professor of Public Administration and director of Criminal Justice programs at Howard University. In 1974,Brown was named Sheriff of Multnomah County,Oregon and in 1976 became director of the Department of Justice Services.
In 1978 he was appointed Public Safety Commissioner of Atlanta,Georgia,serving to 1982. Brown and his staff oversaw investigation of the Atlanta Child Murders case and increased efforts to provide safety in black areas of the city during the period when murders were committed. A critical element of reform during Brown's tenure was increasing diversity of the police force. By the time Brown resigned to accept the top police job in Houston,Atlanta's police force was 20 percent black. [2]
In 1982 Brown was the first African American to be appointed as Police Chief to the City of Houston,serving until 1990. He was first appointed by Mayor Kathy Whitmire. [lower-alpha 1] The Houston Police Department seemed to be in constant turmoil and badly needed reform. According to one of Brown's colleagues at Atlanta,... "Everybody knows Lee likes challenges and anyone who knows about the Houston Police Department knows it's one helluva challenge." [2] [lower-alpha 2] After coming to Houston,Brown quickly began to implement methods of community policing,building relationships with the city's diverse communities. [lower-alpha 3] [4]
The Houston Police Officers Union (HPOU) recently published a history describing in more detail how Brown's reforms were implemented and how it became accepted by the officers as well as the communities they served over a period of years. Initially,the officers were unimpressed by what Brown termed Neighborhood-Oriented Policing (NOP). Old-time officers saw it as simply reverting to a long-discredited policy of "walking a beat," and claimed the acronym meant "never on patrol." [5]
Brown and his staff divided the city into 23 identifiable "neighborhoods." Each neighborhood had a small informal office,located in a storefront,where people from the neighborhood were invited to come in and discuss their concerns or problems with one of the officers that served there. Brown emphasized through his officer training sessions that getting feedback from the public was as important as writing up tickets or doing paperwork chores. The neighborhood officers soon recognized the hot spots and the neighborhood "movers and shakers" who could be helpful in preventing problems. [5]
Brown was credited with getting more police officers into the neighborhoods during his tenure. Relations between the residents and the police were far better than ever before,with residents becoming willing to work with the police implementing various activities. He was quoted as saying that sixty percent of all cities in the U.S. had adopted some form of NOP by the time he stepped down as Houston's chief. [5]
In December 1989 Brown was named by Mayor David Dinkins as Police Commissioner of New York City,the first non-New Yorker appointed in a quarter of a century as head of the nation's largest police force. [4] In January 1990,he took over a police force that was seven times the size of Houston's,with "a complex organization of more than 26,000 officers" and a 346-member executive corps of officers at the rank of captain and above. At the time,the force was 75% white;there were issues of perception of police justice and sensitivity in a city with a population estimated to be half minorities:black,Hispanic and Asian. [4]
Brown implemented community policing citywide,which reportedly quadrupled the number of police officers on foot patrol and had a goal of creating a partnership between the police and citizens. The fact that reported crimes were 6.7 percent lower for the first four months of 1992,compared to the previous year,indicated that Brown's program was having a positive effect,according to the Treadwell article. [6]
On the other hand,according to Treadwell,the police department was being criticized for the alleged ineffectiveness of its internal affairs division in the wake of allegations of drug dealing and bribery by some officers. Dinkins had appointed a five-member panel to investigate the corruption allegations,and had asked the City Council to establish an all-civilian review board to look at charges of police brutality. Brown was already on record as opposing both actions. Both Brown and Dinkins took great pains to assure reporters that the policy disagreement played no role in Brown's decision to leave. [6]
Brown submitted his resignation from the New York City position effective September 1,1992. He and Mayor Dinkins held a joint news conference to explain the reason for his sudden departure. Brown stated that he was leaving to care for his wife,who was ill,and to rejoin the rest of his family,who were still in Houston. He added that he had accepted a college teaching position in Houston. [6]
In 1993 Brown was appointed by President Bill Clinton as his Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP,or "Drug Czar"),and moved to Washington,DC. The Senate unanimously confirmed his appointment.
In the late 1990s,Brown returned to Houston and entered politics directly,running for mayor. In 1997,Brown became the first African American elected as mayor of Houston. During Brown's administration,the city invested extensively in infrastructure:it started the first 7.5-mile leg of its light-rail system and obtained voter approval for an extension, [7] along with increases in bus service,park and ride facilities and HOV lanes. It opened three new professional sports facilities,attracting visitors to the city. It revitalized the downtown area:constructing the city's first convention center hotel,doubling the size of the convention center;and constructing the Hobby Center of the Performing Arts. In addition,it built and renovated new libraries,police and fire stations. Brown initiated a $2.9 billion development program at the city's airport, [7] which consisted of new terminals and runways;and a consolidated rental car facility;in addition to renovating other terminals and runways,he built a new water treatment plant. [8]
Brown also advanced the city's affirmative action program;installed programs in city libraries to provide access to the Internet;built the state-of-the-art Houston Emergency Communications Center;implemented e-government,and opened new parks. Brown led trade missions for the business community to other countries and promoted international trade. He increased the number of foreign consulates. [8]
Brown undertook a massive program to reconstruct the downtown street system and replace the aging underground utility system. The accompanying traffic problems was made a campaign issue by his opponent,three-term city councilman Orlando Sanchez in the 2001 election campaign. In 2001 Brown narrowly survived the reelection challenge and runoff against Sanchez,a Cuban-born man who grew up in Houston. The election characterized by especially high voter turnout in both black and Hispanic districts.
Sanchez' supporters highlighted poor street conditions,campaigning that the "P stands for Pothole," referring to Brown's middle initial. Sanchez drove a Hummer as his campaign vehicle during this period,which was adorned with the banner,"With Brown in Town it's the only way to get around." [9]
Following the death of Houston Fire Captain Jay Janhke in the line of duty,Sanchez gained endorsements from the fire/emergency medical services sector. Brown changed Fire Department policy on staffing as a result of the captain's death. [10]
The Brown-Sanchez election attracted involvement from several national political figures,who contributed to its rhetoric. Brown was endorsed by former Democratic president Bill Clinton while Sanchez was endorsed by then-President George W. Bush,former President George H. W. Bush and his wife,former First Lady Barbara Bush;Rudy Giuliani and a host of other Republicans. Some members of the President's cabinet campaigned for Sanchez in Houston.
The contest had ethnic undertones as Sanchez,a Cuban American,was vying to become the first Hispanic mayor of Houston;he challenged Brown,who was the city's first African-American mayor. According to the U.S. Census 2000,the racial makeup of the city was 49.3% White (including Hispanic or Latino),25.3% Black or African American,0.4% Native American,5.3% Asian,0.18% Pacific Islander,16.5% from other races,and 3.2% from two or more races. 37% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race. [11]
Voting split along racial and political party lines,with a majority of African Americans and Asians (largely Democrats) supporting Brown,and a majority of Hispanic and Anglo voters (largely Republicans) supporting Sanchez. Brown had 43% in the first round of voting,and Sanchez 40%,which resulted in their competing in a run-off. Chris Bell received 16% of the ballots cast in the first round. [12] [13] Brown narrowly won reelection by a margin of three percentage points following heavy voter turnout in predominantly Black precincts,compared to relatively light turnout in Hispanic precincts,although Hispanic voting in the runoff election was much higher than previously.
Brown's 2001 reelection was one of the last major political campaigns supported by the Houston-based Enron Corporation,which collapsed in a financial scandal days after the election.
Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|
✓ | Lee P. Brown | 132,324 | 42.26% | |
✓ | Robert Mosbacher,Jr. | 90,320 | 28.84% | |
George Greanias | 53,115 | 16.96% | ||
Gracie Saenz | 21,950 | 7.01% |
Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|
✓ | Lee P. Brown | 156,307 | 52.67% | |
Robert Mosbacher,Jr. | 140,449 | 47.33% |
Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|
✓ | Lee P. Brown | 139,150 | 67.29% | +25.03 |
Jack Terence | 47,887 | 23.16% | ||
Outlaw Josey Wales,IV | 19,741 | 9.55% |
Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|
✓ | Lee P. Brown | 125,282 | 43.46% | -23.83 |
✓ | Orlando Sanchez | 115,967 | 40.23% | |
Chris Bell | 45,739 | 15.87% |
Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|
✓ | Lee P. Brown | 165,866 | 51.67% | |
Orlando Sanchez | 155,164 | 48.33% |
Brown has been married twice. His first wife,Yvonne Brown,died of cancer after they had four children together. He is married to Frances Young,a teacher in the Houston Independent School District.
Brown is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha collegiate fraternity and Sigma Pi Phi,an African-American fraternity for those who have achieved distinction in their chosen profession.
While in Houston,Dr. Brown was a professor at Texas Southern University and Director of the university's Black Male Initiative Program.
Brown is a co-founder of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE). Brown is chairman and CEO of Brown Group International,which is a business solutions organization.
David Norman Dinkins was an American politician, lawyer, and author who served as the 106th mayor of New York City from 1990 to 1993.
Kathryn Jean Whitmire is an American politician, businesswoman, and accountant best known as the first woman to serve as Mayor of Houston, serving for five consecutive two-year terms from 1982 to 1992. From 1977 to 1981, she was the city controller, a position which made her the first woman elected to any office in the city. Whitmire drew national attention when she defeated former Harris County Sheriff Jack Heard in her election as mayor. The election drew national focus because it symbolized a major political realignment in the fourth-largest city in the United States.
The Crown Heights riot was a race riot that took place from August 19 to August 21, 1991, in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, New York City. Black residents attacked Orthodox Jewish residents, damaged their homes, and looted businesses. The riots began on August 19, 1991, after two children of Guyanese immigrants were unintentionally struck by a driver running a red light while following the motorcade of Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the leader of Chabad, a Jewish religious movement. One child died and the second was severely injured.
Raymond Walter Kelly is the longest-serving Commissioner in the history of the New York City Police Department (NYPD) and the first person to hold the post for two non-consecutive tenures. According to its website, Kelly, a lifelong New Yorker, had spent 45 years in the NYPD, serving in 25 different commands and as Police Commissioner from 1992 to 1994 and again from 2002 until 2013. Kelly was the first man to rise from Police Cadet to Police Commissioner, holding all of the department's ranks, except for Three-Star Bureau Chief, Chief of Department and Deputy Commissioner, having been promoted directly from Two-Star Chief to First Deputy Commissioner in 1990. After his handling of the World Trade Center bombing in 1993, he was mentioned for the first time as a possible candidate for FBI Director. After Kelly turned down the position, Louis Freeh was appointed.
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 fifth-largest municipal police department, serving the fourth-largest city in the United States. Its headquarters are at 1200 Travis in Downtown Houston.
Bishop Lee Robinson, was the first African American commissioner of the Baltimore Police Department. He was the police commissioner from 1984 until 1987.
The history of the Houston Police Department started with the founding of the City of Houston. While the department's beginning was humble, it grew more advanced as technology became available and was able to handle the various challenges that would plague various cities as well as some of the more distinctive aspects of its geography.
Clarence O'Neal Bradford, known as C.O. "Clarence" Bradford, is a Houston City Council member, a former chief of police of Houston, Texas, and in 2008 an unsuccessful Democratic Party candidate for District Attorney of Harris County, Texas. On November 3, 2009, Bradford was elected to the Houston City Council from At-large Position 4 and took office January 2, 2010. In the 2011 election, Bradford won a second term as a Houston City Councilmember.
The Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) is the department of the government of New York City responsible for developing and maintaining the city's stock of affordable housing. Its regulations are compiled in title 28 of the New York City Rules. The Department is headed by a Commissioner, who is appointed by and reports directly to the Mayor. The current Commissioner of HPD is Adolfo Carrión Jr. appointed in January, 2022 by Mayor Eric Adams replacing Louise Carroll, who was appointed by Mayor Bill de Blasio in May 2019. Other former Commissioners have included Maria Torres-Springer, Vicki Been, Jerilyn Perine, Richard Roberts and Shaun Donovan, among others. HPD is headquartered in Lower Manhattan, and includes smaller branch offices in each of the city's five boroughs.
José Campos Torres was a 23-year-old Mexican-American and veteran who was beaten by several Houston Police Department (HPD) officers, which subsequently led to his death. He had been brutally assaulted by a group of on-duty police officers on May 5, 1977, after being arrested for disorderly conduct at a bar in Houston's Mexican-American East End neighborhood.
Daniel Isom was appointed St. Louis' 33rd Police Commissioner on October 6, 2008, and was St. Louis' third African-American police chief.
Charles A. McClelland Jr. was the police chief of the Houston Police Department (HPD) from 2010 through 2016. Joining the department in May 1977, McClelland worked his way up through the ranks, from rookie to assistant chief in 1998, before being asked to step in as acting chief. A graduate of the University of Houston–Downtown, University of Houston–Clear Lake, and the FBI National Academy, he oversaw the department's implementation of tasers and a real-time crime analysis program.
Sam Nuchia is a professor at the University of Houston–Downtown. He previously served as an appellate judge and served 17 years with the Houston Police Department (HPD) beginning in 1967. Leaving HPD as Deputy Chief to become a prosecutor as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of Texas, until he was tapped as Chief of Police by Mayor Bob Lanier until leaving under the Lee Brown administration.
The stop-question-and-frisk program, or stop-and-frisk, in New York City, is a New York City Police Department (NYPD) practice of temporarily detaining, questioning, and at times searching civilians and suspects on the street for weapons and other contraband. This is what is known in other places in the United States as the Terry stop. The rules for the policy are contained in the state's criminal procedure law section 140.50 and based on the decision of the US Supreme Court in the case of Terry v. Ohio.
The 1993 New York City mayoral election was held on Tuesday, November 2. Incumbent Mayor David Dinkins ran for re-election to a second term, but lost in a rematch with Republican Rudy Giuliani.
Inspector Vicki King is a pioneering threat safety scientist in the healthcare sector. She is the leader of the Threat Assessment Unit at the University of Texas at Houston Police Department, which is a component of the University of Texas System.
The Evidence of Things Not Seen, a book-length essay by James Baldwin, covers the Atlanta murders of 1979–1981, often called the Atlanta Child Murders, and probes Atlanta's related social issues, especially race relations. Baldwin had ventured to Atlanta as a literary reporter on assignment by Playboy magazine, which by then had published a considerable catalog by black writers, such as Alex Haley and James Farmer, offering social commentary. Walter Lowe, the magazine's first black editor, had proposed this assignment to Baldwin. The resulting book's epigraph draws from Hebrews 11:1.
Hubert Arturo Acevedo is an American police officer who was previously the interim chief of police of the Aurora Police Department, the chief of police of the Austin Police Department, Houston Police Department, and Miami Police Department. Before becoming a police chief, he was a member of the California Highway Patrol.
The Patrolmen's Benevolent Association Riot, also known as the City Hall Riot, was a rally organized and sponsored by the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association of the City of New York (PBA) held on September 16, 1992, to protest mayor David Dinkins' proposal to create a civilian agency to investigate police misconduct. Approximately 4,000 NYPD officers took part in a protest that included blocking traffic on the Brooklyn Bridge and jumping over police barricades in an attempt to rush City Hall. Rioters were observed to be openly drinking, damaging cars, and physically attacking journalists from the New York Times on the scene. Rioters also chanted racial epithets towards the African-American Mayor Dinkins. The nearly 300 uniformed on-duty officers did little to control the riot.
Howard R. Leary was an American law enforcement officer who served as Commissioner of the Philadelphia Police Department from 1963 to 1966 and New York City Police Commissioner from 1966 to 1970.