The city of Houston will spend $44 million on violence prevention programs and police overtime to slow a recent surge in violent crime, Mayor Sylvester Turner announced Wednesday.
The "One Safe Houston" initiative provides money for a number of community-based programs, the city's latest effort to get a handle on rampant violent crime in Houston. Homicides and violent assaults have skyrocketed since the beginning of January, including a number of high-profile shootings involving law enforcement officers. There have been 40 homicides so far this year in Houston, Turner said at a city hall press conference.
“This is a public health crisis, and as a city, we will and must address the crisis through law enforcement, public health practitioners and community partners working together,” Turner said.
The cornerstone of the plan is to pay overtime to 125 extra police officers each day to patrol high crime areas in the city. Turner says that component will cost the city nearly $6 million and target areas that have seen the most violent crime. The plan includes increased patrols around busy shopping areas, night clubs and convenience stores that have been trouble spots for violent crime.
The plan includes funding for what Turner called "violence interrupters," community leaders who will look for ways to solve disputes at the neighborhood level before they turn violent. It will also pay for 15 new park rangers, a gun buy-back program and more crisis intervention teams.
The crime surge in Houston has included several violent incidents involving local law enforcement — most recently, a chase that ended with three Houston Police officers shot by a suspect near downtown last week. On Jan. 23, a Harris County Precinct 5 Corporal was killed during a traffic stop in southwest Houston.
The plan also includes funding Turner hoped would reduce the backlog of criminal cases in local courts. The city will provide $1.5 million in funding to the Houston Forensic Science Center to help clear the backlog that has delayed hundreds of criminal cases during the pandemic.
The public safety initiative comes after similar efforts that both Turner and Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said helped reduce many nonviolent crimes in the city.
"We will not let criminals to take over our city," Finner said. "We're not here today to point fingers, we're here to talk facts, but at the same time, we're getting busy in this city."
Subscribe to Today in Houston
Fill out the form below to subscribe our new daily editorial newsletter from the HPM Newsroom.