Experts Express Serious Concerns with The Woodlands Township’s Incorporation Law Enforcement Plan

THE WOODLANDS, TX -- Law enforcement experts, including those who currently provide public safety to The Woodlands, have expressed serious concerns with the law enforcement plan provided by The Novak Consulting Group and included in the Township’s Incorporation Planning Study.

The plan, which has been endorsed by the Board of Directors as a blueprint for creating a new police department, drastically understates (by many millions of dollars) the costs of providing law enforcement services, neglects to plan for many vital police operations, and fails to address costly compliance and liability issues.

The full report can be found here.

“We have no confidence in the law enforcement plan’s financial projections. In our opinion, the plan falls significantly short of providing a reliable blueprint for ensuring public safety in The Woodlands.”

Tim Oettmeier, Former Executive Assistant Chief of Police, Houston Police Department

'Leaders in law enforcement had some concerns about the validity of those numbers (from the Novak study), so whenever I saw the study from Chief Oettmeier, who I have a lot of respect for, these were much more valid numbers and really spoke to what it takes to run a police department.'

Montgomery County Sheriff Rand Henderson

“I stand behind the recently released assessment showing a lack of funding for law enforcement by a future city of The Woodlands and do not see a valid reason to incorporate as a city. We offer great law enforcement services through my agency and the Sheriff’s Department, making The Woodlands, Texas, one of the safest places to live, work, and play.”

Montgomery County Constable, Precinct 3, Ryan Gable


“The Township’s law enforcement plan is significantly deficient in many areas and does not include many operations fundamental to policing. It fails to properly identify and assess the cost of law enforcement operations and services, causing the financial projections to be grossly understated.”

Joe Fenninger, Former Deputy Director and Chief Financial Officer, Houston Police Department