Acevedo says cooperation is key to tackling the rise in violent crime in Houston

HOUSTON – Houston police chief Art Acevedo said on Wednesday that cooperation between law enforcement agencies and the public is the key to combating the rise in violent crime in the city.

Less than a month in 2021, Houston homicide detectives are already investigating 30 cases on Wednesday morning, according to Acevedo. He said it is an increase over the same period last year. He said it is a problem that is not unique to Houston.

“I was actually talking on the phone to the San Antonio police chief this morning,” said Acevedo. “I spoke on the phone to the Los Angeles police chief, New York commissioner. It is a phenomenon that we are seeing all over the country and, frankly, we have a lot of work to do in society ”.

Acevedo said the Houston Police Department is doing what it can with the resources at its disposal, including approving overtime, redirecting specialized response teams and adding more detectives to the homicide division.

“We have to continue to look internally, in order to squeeze as much as we can of what we call 5,300 police officers who have not grown in 20 years,” said Acevedo. “We have to do our part, but ultimately, we all have to do our part. We need our community to work with us. We need them to remain vigilant and report crimes ”.

HPD chief executive assistant Matt Slinkard said the goal is to add 20 homicide detectives and that the city is halfway there. He said the division’s release rate for homicide cases is up to 62%.

Acevedo suggested that Texas Department of Public Security soldiers patrolling Houston’s state highway system would help to release HPD officers to focus on the city’s streets and crime.

“It would be very useful, instead of rhetoric, for the state to patrol all highways in the state of Texas,” said Acevedo. “It is state property. Answer for the service, apply the transport code, investigate faults and I think that if we do that, we can free up many of our resources ”.

The chief said he is also in talks with Harris County sheriff Ed Gonzalez and Harris District Attorney Kim Ogg about how their agencies can work together to combat violent crime. He said stricter charges and fewer titles would go a long way toward solving the problem.

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

Acevedo said that more funding from the federal government will also help efforts to fight crime in cashless cities due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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