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Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner on Feb. 2 announced a new $44 million crime-fighting initiative.
Keeping in mind the sharp rise in crime rates in Houston, the city leaders have come up with a robust plan.
"Houstonians, it is time to take our city back. Every Houstonian deserves to feel safe," Turner tweeted.
Turner was joined by Houston Chief of Police Troy Finner at a press conference to unveil the "One Safe Houston" crime reduction initiative.
"We're not here today to point fingers. We're here to talk facts," Finner said. "We're getting busy in this city."
According to Finner, in the past three years alone, the Houston Police Department has made 20,000 felony arrests, and in 2022, Houston has reported 40 homicides already.
"Let there be no question that this city is with you, stands with you, supportive of you, wants you working with HPD," Turner said in a message to law enforcement. "We stand with you but we also recognize that for so long we have asked police to do everything and they cannot."
The mayor also announced that they would be investing $1 million in a special gun buy-back program to ensure that Houston's streets are safe again and all the illegal and unwanted firearms are eliminated. The most violent neighborhoods of the city will be the main target areas. Another finding in recent times is that convenience stores and nightclubs are the places where most of the crime has taken place, and the authorities are looking into this as well. Citing an example, Turner referred to the lawsuit recently filed against MVP Food Store on Lockwood, which was becoming a notorious hotspot for criminal activity.
One Safe Houston is four-fold: Violence reduction and crime prevention; crisis intervention, response and recovery; key community partnerships; and youth outreach opportunities.
The initiative comes after the shooting of three Houston police officers late last month. The city is also grappling with a homicide rate that appears to show no signs of decline.