Harris County commissioners approve $15 million public safety initiatives amid rising crime rates

By Sophie Kidd

(HOUSTON) The Harris County Commissioners Court convened June 29 to discuss the rising crime rates in the Houston area, approving $15 million to go toward public safety initiatives.

During a press conference on June 28, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo along with Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia and Houston Police Executive Chief Matt Slinkard emphasized the need for a bipartisan approach to ensuring public safety.

“In Harris County, we prioritize public safety, and we actually do fund — not defund — law enforcement,” Garcia said.

The initiative comes as Houston sees a record increase in crime. Last month, the Houston Police Department announced the 199th homicide of the year — a 35% increase from 2020.

In addition to an increase in homicides, an ABC 13 investigation found a 39% increase in aggravated assault compared to 2019.

“My family left the country I was born in because of violence and because of crime, so I can tell you that public safety is something that I, personally, take very seriously,” Hidalgo said.

One of the most pressing issues officials face is tackling a backlog of 100,000 criminal cases. There has been a 40% increase in pending cases since 2017, which can be attributed to delays caused by Hurricane Harvey and the global pandemic.

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo along with Sheriff Ed Gonzalez and Commissioner Adrian Garcia at a joint press conference June 28, 2021Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle

“The most important smart on crime reform we can take advantage of right now is to reduce the unacceptable backlog in criminal cases that our court system is facing,” Hidalgo said. “Justice delayed is justice denied; denied for victims of crime and denied for those accused of crime.”

To expedite the process, the commissioners approved six new associate judges to assist in 22 criminal district courts, funding for visiting judges and the expansion of jury operations at NRG.

During the commissioners’ meeting, some residents called for greater efforts to curb crime rates in the county.

Celia Brown, along with other critics, called on the commissioners to address the need for felony bond reform.

“Our district attorney, the top prosecutor in our county, has gone on record saying crime is up, ladies and gentlemen, and it is associated with bail,” Brown said. “How can you as a court hear that and not support the bill regarding bond reform? As a resident of Harris County, I feel failed by this court.”

A report from Crime Stoppers found from 2018 to January of this year, 90 people had been killed by felons out on bond.

The commissioners also voted to invest in new body cameras and other technology for law enforcers.

These initiatives will be enacted by using surplus funding from the fiscal year 2020-2021 budget. Rather than keeping unused funding, county departments have returned the money for general funding.

“The reality is every piece of our system must be working in concert,” Slinkard said. “And when one spoke in that wheel breaks, it’s incumbent upon all of us to have the difficult conversations and get us moving down the road again, to the point where we are putting public safety first.”

Follow me to see more articles like this.

...

Follow

This is original content from NewsBreak’s Creator Program. Join today to publish and share your own content.