Acevedo says collaboration is key to fighting the rise of violent crime in Houston

HOUSTON – Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said on Wednesday that cooperation between law enforcement agencies and the public is key to fighting the rise of violent crime in the city.

Less than a month into 2021, homicide detectives in Houston are already investigating 30 cases as of Wednesday morning, Acevedo said. He said this is an increase from the same period last year. He said it is a problem not unique to Houston.

“I had a phone with the San Antonio chief of police this morning,” Acevedo said. “I’ve had the LA Police Chief, the New York Commissioner, on the phone. It’s a phenomenon that we see nationwide, and frankly, we have a lot of work to do in society. “

Acevedo said the Houston police are doing what they can with the resources they have, including approving extra overtime, diverting specialized response teams, and adding more detectives to the homicide division.

“We need to keep searching internally to squeeze as much of what we call 5,300 police officers who haven’t grown in 20 years,” Acevedo said. “We have to do our part, but in the end we all have to do our part. We need our community to work with us. We need them to remain vigilant and actually file a report. “

HPD Executive Assistant Chief Matt Slinkard said the goal is to add 20 homicide detectives and the city is about halfway to that goal. He said the homicide division’s release rate is up to 62%.

Acevedo suggested that Texas Department of Public Safety troopers patrolling the state highway system in Houston would help free HPD officers to focus on city streets and city crime.

“It would be very helpful, in lieu of the rhetoric, for the state to patrol all highways in the state of Texas,” Acevedo said. It’s state property. Respond for service, enforce transport code, investigate crashes, and I think if we did, we could relieve a lot of our resources. “

The chief said he is also in talks with Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez and Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg about how their agencies can work together to combat violent crime. He said tighter fees and fewer bonds would go a long way to address the problem.

“We need to create an environment where the criminals are afraid and not victims and witnesses,” Acevedo said.

Acevedo said more federal government funding will also contribute to crime-fighting efforts in cities detained by the coronavirus pandemic.

You can watch a replay of Acevedo’s press conference below: