On March 24, 2004, Houston's Mayor and City Council announced Harold L. Hurtt as Houston's 37th Chief of Police.  Chief Hurtt, a veteran of the United States Air Force, began his law enforcement career in 1968 as a patrolman in the Phoenix Police Department.  During his tenure with Phoenix, he attained many promotional achievements, eventually becoming Executive Assistant Chief of Police.  In 1992, Chief Hurtt retired from the Phoenix Police Department to become Chief of Police for the Oxnard, California Police Department.  In April 1998, Chief Hurtt left his post as Chief of the Oxnard, California Police Department to return to Phoenix as that city's Chief of Police. 

 

Chief Hurtt is a noted proponent of the "community policing" concept and has been innovative in helping institute neighborhood police store fronts. In 2002, Chief Hurtt was selected by his peers as President of the Major Cities Chiefs Association, which is an organization of the 57 largest police forces in the United States and Canada.
 
In addition to his busy schedule as police chief, Harold Hurtt is also a member of professional and community organizations such as the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, and the Police Executive Research Forum.  He is also a lifetime member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and a Senior Fellow - University of California Los Angeles School of Public Policy and Social Research.

 

Chief Hurtt graduated from Arizona State University in 1977 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sociology, and later earned a Master's Degree in Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix in 1991. 

Chief Hurtt was born in Campbell County, Virginia.  He and his wife, Lonetta, have five children and seven grandchildren.

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