Beat & Bench

Beat & Bench was Robert’s independent project following Harris County criminal cases from the street (the beat) to the courtroom (the bench), using only public court and policing records. This page preserves its maps, charts and product visuals.

Data: Houston and Harris County public records, Jan 1, 2019 – June 30, 2026.

Overview map of Houston showing 1.77 million HPD-reported incidents as density, January 2019 to June 2026, with 25 police districts, 121 beats, 88 Super Neighborhoods and the Harris County criminal courts marked. — Houston crime overview map

Map of HPD beat 1A20 (Montrose and Fourth Ward) shading 2025 reported offenses by hundred-block, with the five highest-offense blocks labeled. — HPD Beat 1A20 map

Map of Houston police districts shaded by HPD-reported offenses per square mile, January 2019 to June 2026, with highest and lowest districts listed. — Houston neighborhoods map A

Hexagon density map of 1,765,248 HPD-reported incidents across Houston police districts, January 2019 to June 2026. — Houston neighborhoods map B

Bar chart of reported offenses in HPD beat 1A20 by year, 2019 to 2025, rising to 6,366 in 2025. — Police brief chart

Stacked bar chart of felony cases filed per year in the 351st District Court, 2017 to 2026, split into closed and still pending. — Courts brief chart

Bar chart of closed cases credited to the 178th District Court by year of first disposition, 2017 to 2025. — Judges brief chart

Timeline of the date ranges covered by court filings, HPD police offenses, the judge roster and bond reports, with the overlap of January 2019 to June 2026. — Data sources timeline

Harris County Case Card app browse screen with year, court, judge and police beat filters — Harris County Case Card app (browse screen)