White Settlement

White Settlement Police Create Task Force on Motel, Hotel Crime

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White Settlement Police have created a task force combatting “problematic motels and hotels” that have contributed to crime.

Over the past two years, Chief Christopher Cook said the department has responded to 2,860 calls at eight motel and hotel properties between Jan. 1, 2021, and March 1, 2023. These calls included self-initiated activity, assaults, rapes, burglaries, prostitution, disturbances, stabbings, shootings, robberies, stolen vehicles, and illicit drugs, police said.

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“Our community is only 20,000 residents. That is way too many calls for service. That’s a resource strain for our police officers, our firefighters, our EMS personnel,” Cook said Thursday.

The area of concentration is along Interstate 30 and Loop 820 South Service Road, Cook said. The task force consists of law enforcement personnel, code enforcement officials, and the Office of the Fire Marshal. Extra police officers are working special assignments in these areas that do not pull resources away from regular patrol duties.

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“They’re getting paid overtime to enforce high visibility traffic enforcements, educating the public, educating the personnel working the desk,” Cook said.

The department launched the task force in March and officially announced its efforts on Thursday. So far, formal letters have been delivered to hotel and motel owners and operators on notice of the operation. The letter contains recommended actions to be taken including obtaining identification from people who rent rooms, obtaining license plate information for all cars parked on premises, and to report any suspicious activity.

Cook said the Motel 6 Extended Stay location by I-30 and Cherry Lane is among the properties that have had a significant number of calls for service.

Motel 6 sent the following statement to NBC 5 on Thursday:

“At this time, we have not been notified by the White Settlement Police Department about this task force. With that being said, there is nothing more important to us than the safety and well-being of our guests, our team members, and the communities in which we operate.”

Police said they plan to continue with the task force’s efforts until crime is reduced.

“Certainly, if I can reduce calls even by about half…3,000 to 1,500 calls, that’s a success,” Cook said.

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