The Greater Greenspoint Management District (GGMD), a special taxation district in Houston, Texas, contracted with the Institute for Law and Justice (ILJ) in June 1999 to assess the districts public safety and security services. The primary aims of the study were to (1) determine whether current public safety operations, including contracted services, were adequate, (2) conduct a district-wide public safety and physical security audit, (3) identify the concerns and expectations of the districts stakeholders and customers, (4) survey similar districts nationally, and (5) develop a strategic public safety plan for the district.
Since its founding in 1991, GGMD had built collaborative relationships with the Houston Police Department and the Harris County Sheriffs Department, as well as with "communities of interest" in the area. In October 1999, ILJs comprehensive final report to the GGMD included recommendations for strengthening those relationships; establishing a new crime control and prevention unit; improving communications; promoting the Districts use of crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED); heightening security; refining the staffing levels and responsibilities of contract deputies; boosting community policing efforts; and marketing the GGMDs public safety and quality of life improvements.