Harris County Sheriff's Office chief praises new 'anti-crime' initiative

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo recently announced a new initiative to address crime through a county program known as "environmental design."

Mike Lee, Harris County Sheriff’s Office law enforcement command assistant chief, said that the design of the program would help facilitate a safer community in the county.

"Grateful to @HarrisCoJudge & Commissioner’s Court for their continued support in the implementation of multi-pronged solutions to better serve the residents of #HarrisCounty,” Lee wrote on Twitter. “Today we unveiled a #CrimePrevention and neighborhood safety initiative to help keep #HarrisCountySafe."

The Texan reported that the county commissioner’s court approved the program at its Oct. 12 meeting with Hidalgo and commissioner Adrian Garcia, a former Houston-area law enforcement official, introducing the initiative, however how the county will handle bail practices was not released.  

“All across America violent crime has increased, and sadly Harris County has not been immune to that trend,” Hidalgo said. “It’s no secret what’s driving that crime trend here and across America. It is the economic impact of COVID-19 and of course the gun violence epidemic.” 

Hidalgo used a study by the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention that highlighted the reduction of affliction as a main component in the reduction of gun violence, youth homicide and other crimes, according to the Houston Chronicle.

The program comes on the heels of Republicans stating that the county has not implemented measures to address the crime rate.