Governor Abbott Announces Results From Violent Crime Reduction Operation In Harris County
One month after announcing a violent crime reduction operation in Houston, Texas to combat the alarming rise in violent crime and gang-related activity in Harris County, Governor Greg Abbott today announced that in the last four weeks, more than 450 arrests have already been made. Included in these arrests were 26 suspects from ten highly-organized and coordinated take-over robbery crews, with five additional robbery crew suspects being sought as a result of the operation.
“Texas is a law and order state, and I’m proud of the remarkable efforts of our law enforcement officers to crack down on those who seek to bring violence into our communities,” said Governor Abbott.
My top priority as governor is to keep our citizens safe, and I will not waiver in that effort. As governor, I am committed to dedicating the resources necessary to bring safety to our communities, and today’s report are an early indication that our efforts are working.
“DPS is proud to provide support to the various law enforcement partners in Harris County to crack down on violent crime, and this initiative underscores the power of teamwork in making an immediate and significant impact on public safety,” said DPS Director Steven McCraw.
Following the spike in violent crime and gang violence in Harris County, Governor Abbott took action and announced a crime Reduction initiative on April 10th, in Houston. In announcing the operation, the Governor established a Tactical Operations Center to enhance and coordinate operations around the clock, and provided $500,000 in new funding from the Governor’s Criminal Justice Division to increase Texas Anti-Gang Center resources in the Houston area.
“The Harris County Sheriff’s Office has made a priority of focusing our law enforcement resources on initiatives that will have the most significant impact on improving public safety,” said Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez. “Through Operation North Star, more than 450 arrests were made, which removed scores of violent offenders from our neighborhoods. I want to thank the team of law officers from DPS and other partner agencies that helped the Harris County Sheriff’s Office make our community safer by zeroing in on violent criminals who pose a real threat to Texas.”