(The Center Square) – A new task force has been launched in Houston, the Texas Repeat Offender Program (TxROP), to crack down on violent crime in the city.
Some residents should expect to see an increased police presence in high crime neighborhoods, Gov. Greg Abbott said.
Led by Texas Department of Public Safety, the task force includes Texas DPS troopers, special agents, members of the Houston TAG Center, Texas Rangers, Texas DPS’ Department of Homeland Security and criminal investigators and aircraft. The Houston Police Department, Harris County Sheriff’s Office, constables and federal law enforcement partners are also part of the task force.
The task force is prioritizing a “crackdown that targets repeat violent criminals. Citizens in this area remain concerned about crime, especially violent crime. And very simply, there are far too many victims of violent crime in Harris County,” Abbott said. “We’re dealing with a target rich environment.”
Voters identified crime as a top concern last year, ushering in Mayor John Whitmire who ran a campaign to reduce crime and target violent offenders. Whitmire and Abbott have worked well together, they have both said, after Whitmire served in the Texas legislature for 40 years. More work needs to be done, they argue, to deal with the aftermath of years of judges releasing violent repeat offenders, Gov. Abbott said.
“Today we’re putting those criminals on notice. We are coming for you, we’re going to target you, arrest you, and put you where you belong, which is behind bars,” Abbott said. This is a “Texas sized effort,” he said, “at every level.”
“Houston can be the national model for public safety in America’s largest cities. Our goal is simple: every Houstonian deserves to be able to walk the streets, take their kids to school, open their businesses, go shopping or dining, all without fear. Together with DPS and all of these local law enforcement agencies, we will focus on driving down violent crime in this area,” Abbott said.
Texas DPS Col. Martin Freeman said the task force isn’t any different than other task forces that have brought law enforcement agencies together. He described a previous successful task force operation in Harris, Montgomery, Waller and Chambers counties targeting jugging. Jugging is when thieves target bank customers. After the targeted effort, jugging came to a near halt, he said.
“We know this small population is driving the violent crime,” Freeman said of violent repeat offenders, including murderers, rapists and those committing assault. “When they see an increased uniform presence and patrol operations in high crime areas, saturated patrols reduce crime a thousand percent of the time. We’ve seen it in Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, in Austin.”
He said residents won’t be seeing “covert operations.” Operations are focusing on known criminals to ensure they’re in compliance with conditions of their release, “whether they’re on bond, probation or parole.”
A Texas DPS Homeland Security Division in Austin put together a target list for task force members to find, he said. Law enforcement agencies will be refocusing resources, sharing data and using intelligence driven operations to direct patrols to locate violent offenders. “When we come together as a team and use all of our resources to address these issues, a thousand percent of the time we have success,” he said.
Houston Police Officers Union Executive Director Ray Hunt gave examples of violent repeat offender crimes and said after new laws went into effect, some judges got the message to keep them behind bars. He also pointed to Abbott appointing nine Republican judges in Harris County in the last few years who aren’t releasing violent offenders.
For years, criminals have known it may take up to six years to get to trial, an unelected magistrate will set a low or no bond and they continue “to terrorize Houston, … terrorize Harris County. There was no incentive. Now they’re starting to get the message,” Hunt said.
The task force initiative is an outworking of several new public safety bills the legislature passed this year that Abbott signed into law, including one to make it tougher for dangerous criminals to be released on bail, The Center Square reported.
Of the 17 constitutional amendments on the ballot this November, Texans will also have the opportunity to vote on a constitutional amendment requiring the denial of bail to the most dangerous criminals in Texas, Abbott said.
