| The city of Houston gained worldwide
| |
| | evacuees have no criminal records and
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| recognition for taking in tens of
| |
| | have committed no crimes here in Texas.
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| thousands of evacuees from Louisiana
| |
| | But authorities have been concerned in
|
| fleeing Hurricane Katrina three months
| |
| | particular by reports that hundreds of
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| ago, but among the displaced were some
| |
| | gang members from the New Orleans area
|
| unwelcome guests, violent criminals.
| |
| | intermingled with the evacuees and came
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| Local, state and federal authorities are
| |
| | to Texas. Before Katrina, New Orleans had
|
| making progress in getting the criminal
| |
| | one of the highest crime rates among
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| element off the streets.
| |
| | major U.S. cities.
|
| The Houston Police Department, backed by
| |
| | In a related development Monday, Texas
|
| state and federal law enforcement
| |
| | Attorney General Greg Abbott announced
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| agencies, is moving against violent
| |
| | that 13 fugitives from justice in
|
| criminals and gang members, many of whom
| |
| | Louisiana have been apprehended in Texas
|
| came here among evacuees fleeing
| |
| | in recent weeks. The 11 men and two
|
| Hurricane Katrina in early September.
| |
| | women are all wanted for violent criminal
|
| Houston Police Chief Harold Hurtt says
| |
| | acts. Three of them are wanted for
|
| these criminals from New Orleans and
| |
| | murder.
|
| other areas of the neighboring state have
| |
| | Attorney General Abbott says information
|
| had a negative impact on Houston.
| |
| | reluctantly provided by the Federal
|
| "We are beginning to see more involvement
| |
| | Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) helped
|
| in violent offenses by the evacuees who
| |
| | in tracking down the fugitives. Most of
|
| came here from Louisiana," said Mr.
| |
| | them had applied for federal assistance
|
| Hurtt.
| |
| | following the disaster in September. FEMA
|
| The Houston Police Chief says some of the
| |
| | initially opposed opening its records to
|
| Louisiana criminals may have been swept
| |
| | law enforcement investigators, but Mr.
|
| up recently as part of an operation that
| |
| | Abbott says the agency relented after his
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| started six months ago, with federal
| |
| | office spent weeks demanding access to
|
| assistance, to target violent criminals.
| |
| | the files.
|
| "One way that we can stop repeat
| |
| | Texas officials are also working with
|
| offenders is to make sure that they are
| |
| | authorities in Louisiana to track down
|
| not on the street and either in the
| |
| | dozens of convicted sex offenders who
|
| county jail or state prison," he added.
| |
| | failed to register with authorities, as
|
| There are around 100,000 evacuees from
| |
| | required under the terms of their parole
|
| Louisiana still living in the Houston
| |
| | release. One man with a sex offense
|
| area and tens of thousands more in other
| |
| | record in Louisiana was arrested in
|
| Texas cities like Dallas, Austin and San
| |
| | Dallas recently on charges of molesting a
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| Antonio. The vast majority of the
| |
| | child in that city.
|
