Acevedo says cooperation is key to tackling rising violent crime in Houston

HOUSTON –Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said Wednesday that cooperation between law enforcement and the public is key to tackling the rise in violent crime in the city.

Less than a month into 2021, Houston homicide detectives were already investigating 30 cases as of Wednesday morning, according to Acevedo. He said it was an increase over the same period last year. He said it was a problem that was not unique to Houston.

“I was actually on the phone with the San Antonio Police Chief this morning,” Acevedo said. “I’ve been on the phone with the Los Angeles Police Chief, the New York Commissioner. It’s a phenomenon that we are seeing nationally and frankly we have a lot of work to do in society.

Acevedo said the Houston Police Department was doing what it could with the resources it had, including approving overtime, redirecting specialized response teams and adding more detectives to the homicide division. .

“We have to keep looking internally, to be able to get the most out of what we call 5,300 police officers who haven’t grown up in 20 years,” Acevedo said. “We have to do our part, but at the end of the day we all have to do our part. We need our community to work with us. We need them to continue to be vigilant and to actually report crimes. “

HPD deputy executive chief Matt Slinkard said the goal was to add 20 homicide detectives and the city was halfway to that goal. He said the division’s clearance rate for homicide cases was 62%.

Acevedo suggested that soldiers from the Texas Department of Public Safety patrolling the state’s highway system in Houston would help free the HPD officers to focus on the streets and urban crime.

“It would be very helpful, instead of rhetoric, for the state to patrol all of the highways in the state of Texas,” Acevedo said. “It’s state property. Answer for service, enforce the transportation code, investigate accidents, and I think if we did, we can free up a lot of our resources. “

The chief said he was also in talks with Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez and Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg about how their agencies can work together to tackle violent crime. He said tougher charges and fewer obligations would go a long way in solving the problem.

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

Acevedo said more federal government funding would also help efforts to fight crime in cities strapped for cash by the coronavirus pandemic.

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