Metro Houston has a new department leader after Chief Ban Tien was officially sworn in Friday.
The once long-time HPD officer has been tasked with curbing crime on the city’s transit system.
As the first Asian American to lead Metro Houston’s police department, Chief Ban Tien knows what it means to accomplish a goal.
Tien became an HPD officer in 1997 and was promoted to Executive Assistant Chief last year. Part of his new role is to help make public transportation safer.
“I don’t know what tomorrow is going to look like, but you have a chief committed to your safety,” Tien said.
According to METRO’s website, major crimes, which include sex assaults, have nearly tripled over the last two fiscal years.
“This is terrible. Every single crime is not just a statistic. It involves someone, a person itself. I’m committed to making sure all those get looked into,” he said.
His first step to lowering those numbers is assessing the department so he can determine the best plan of action.
“The key is to make sure I get some feedback from all the stakeholders involved. The board, my boss, the CEO. In order to talk about a specific strategy, I have to go in asses. There’s no way around that,” Tien said.