The Property & Financial Crimes Division of the Houston Police Department investigates criminal activity carried out through the use of technology and modern telecommunication networks. Offenses include network intrusions, online impersonations, violation of intellectual property rights, computer related theft and/or fraud, money laundering, identity theft, credit card abuse, and counterfeit currency. The division has investigators in-house along with task force officers assigned to the FBI and Secret Service to assist in complex cyber and financial crime investigations.

This unit is responsible for follow-up on cases involving unauthorized entry with the intent to commit a felony or theft. Property crimes include the following units: Alarm detail, which enforces rules governing alarms in the city; Metal Theft, which inspects and monitors scrap metal recycling; Pawn detail, which monitors and inspects the city’s pawn shops, Precious Metals, which inspects jewelry dealers and assists in jewelry crimes and Property detail, which works to reunite citizens with their lost or stolen property.

This unit is responsible for investigations involving identity theft to include crimes related to forged documents involving personal, commercial, and governmental entities. This unit also investigates credit card abuse, counterfeit currency, fraudulent identifications, and financial exploitation of the elderly. There are unit personnel assigned to the FBI’s Mortgage Fraud Task Force and U.S. Secret Service in an effort to reduce multi-jurisdictional and international fraud crimes. In addition, personnel provide training and education to members of law enforcement and the community in an effort to increase prosecution of offenders and decrease victimization of the public.

This unit is responsible for investigations pertaining to network intrusions, online impersonations, intellectual property rights violations, business email compromise, ransomware, doxing, swatting, computer related theft and/or fraud, and the unlawful disclosure or promotion of intimate visual material. This unit investigates both local cyber related criminal offenses and those that are more widespread through their partnership with the FBI’s Houston Cyber Task Force.