On May 28, Fort Bend County Precinct 4 Commissioner Dexter McCoy and Constable Patrick Quincy were joined by District Attorney Brian Middleton, County Attorney Bridgette Smith-Lawson, and Assistant County Engineer Chris Debaillon at a press conference in the Precinct 4 Constable Conference Room at 1517 Eugene Heimann Circle, Richmond, announcing the precinct’s new patrol unit that will specialize in commercial vehicle code enforcement.

This action, which was unanimously approved in Commissioner’s Court during their May 14 session, allocates funding for two constable deputies and one sergeant to patrol unincorporated parts of Precinct 4.

“Ordinance violations have been one of the largest issues constituents have contacted our office about since coming to office,” said McCoy, who spearheaded securing funding for this new unit. “I’m so excited that we will now be able to respond to residents’ concerns quicker and more effectively. I thank Constable Quincy for bringing this idea to my office and leadership in prioritizing this effort.”

County Attorney Bridgette Smith-Lawson and District Attorney Brian Middleton spoke at the press conference to share insights on the civil and criminal consequences of enforcement. “These civil regulations will be used in support of law enforcement to simply just make our community safe,” said County Attorney Bridgette Smith Lawson. “So, if you have a commercial vehicle, we encourage you to move or we will be moving it.”

Assistant County Engineer Chris Debaillon provided information on how residents can submit a petition request to the engineering office for “no commercial vehicle” parking signage. “The state law does allow us to put a single sign at each entrance of the neighborhood banning overnight commercial vehicle parking,” said Debaillon. “It does require a signed petition representing 25% of the neighborhood, and we ask that you contact your HOA to have them interface with us.” Debaillon’s office may be reached at traffic@fbctx.gov.

As a fast-growing county, Fort Bend County is seeing an increase in the share of its population residing in communities outside of city limits, which is beyond the jurisdictional limits of city police. A majority of Precinct 4 residents reside in unincorporated areas of the county, and their neighborhoods face an alarming increase in traffic and traffic violations, such as commercial motor vehicles and tractor-trailers operating or parking in prohibited residential areas, along with speeding, stop sign violations, and other unsafe driving behaviors creating safety hazards for residents and motorists. Older neighborhoods such as Mission Bend and Town West are seeing an increase in the number of commercial vehicles parked on residential streets overnight, creating a safety concern, McCoy said.

This new unit will be specifically trained to respond, document, and investigate such violations and will be overseen by Constable Quincy and the Fort Bend County Precinct 4 Constable Office.

Funding for this new unit comes from County Assistance Districts which make available sales tax dollars to fund infrastructure, parks, and public safety activities, meaning that no property tax revenue is being used for this effort. Fort Bend County Precinct Four Constable’s Office is actively hiring new deputies to serve in this specialized unit with patrols expected to begin this summer.