Pros
It generally feels good to be supporting local law enforcement. There are some jobs that are absolutely mission critical where civilians seems to be genuinely valued, like police dispatchers/telecommunicators. And the 8 hour shift (versus 9 in other city departments) is the biggest perk.
Cons
The place has gone downhill fast. Civilians are completely disposable to HPD. More than 100 left just last weeks and there's a hiring freeze, so they won't be replaced any time soon. They are not valued, regardless of their education, experience, or subject matter expertise. The civilian workforce is down to around 800 employees, and it will be even less when budget and tech are merged with their citywide counterparts later this year. There are so many jobs cops do that civilians could do cheaper (and probably much faster), but the cops covet their desk jobs and aren't gonna let go of them easily. Annual mandatory training is generally worthless or, worse, traumatizing. And there is no money for actual training relevant to your position unless you are a classified officer. There is little opportunity for advancement for civilians unless you buddy up to a supervisor, and then you can get them to create a position for you and limit applications just to your division. (Totally shady, but no consequences for the managers who do this...which sort of implies it's acceptable.) So much management turnover that it is hard to know who is in charge any given week. You always have to make sure you're looking at the latest org chart! The department used to have a strong focus on the community under Chief Finner, but that seems to be much less important now. It's sad. There was also a major culture change effort underway that gave some hope for civilians to actually get recognized, but that project seems to have been an enormous waste of time and money. Oh, and forget working from home. Ever. While it was common for a time in some divisions, Mayor Whitmire put an end to it.