Gov. Abbott announces task force on repeat offenders in Houston area

HOUSTON (KIAH) — Gov. Greg Abbott was in Houston to announce a new initiative to help with violent crime in the state.

At a press conference at the Texas Department of Public Safety regional office in Houston, Abbott announced a new initiative that has DPS troopers working with local law enforcement in the Houston area to cut down on crime, especially from repeat offenders.

“Most of the crime in the area is being committed by repeat offenders,” Abbott said. “Now with this task force, we say to those criminals, we’re coming after you, we will arrest you and put you where you belong, behind bars.”

Abbott did say that while crime in Harris County and the Houston area has gone down in the last five years, most of the crime that has been committed was done by those who had committed a crime in their past or were currently out on bond.

Crime Stoppers of Houston senior director Sydney Zuiker said that around 55% of the crime that has been committed in the area was done by someone with a criminal past.

Along with bail reform laws that were passed in the state legislature, Abbott hopes that the task force will help greatly reduce crime in the area.

“Houston could be the national model for public safety for large cities,” Abbott said.

Joining him at the press conference is Texas DPS Col. Freeman Martin, Crime Stoppers of Houston senior director Sydney Zuiker and Houston Police Officers executive director Ray Hunt. Other state and local leaders included representatives of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office and other Harris County constables.

Noticeably missing from the list are Houston Mayor John Whitmire, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, Houston police chief J. Noe Diaz and Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.

But Abbott said he has spoken with Whitmire many times about reducing crime and said he was happy that the crime rate in Houston was going down. “But we want crime down to zero,” Abbott said.

The announcement sparked rumors of Texas asking the National Guard to help with crimefighting in Houston and other cities. Governors in Louisiana and Tennessee are asking for troop deployment in their states to fight crime in cities like New Orleans and Memphis.

Abbott said that “there has never been a threat or assertion” that he wants the National Guard in Texas for crime reasons.