HOUSTON — Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo says the city is facing a triple threat. A pandemic, an economic crisis and now a threat to public safety.
“It’s placing the community at risk, and it’s placing our police officers at risk, it’s just not right," Acevedo said.
He says since the pandemic started, officers are seeing a rise in violent crime and often time seeing the same offenders.
Take this week, for example, Monday’s hour-long high-speed chase that ended in south Houston on Highway 288 near Reed Road with the arrest of Clayton Bryant, 36. Court records show earlier this month he was in jail for aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon. Prosecutors wanted to keep him behind bars because he was already on bond in eight felony cases, but he was released.
Then, the same day, Acevedo tweeted about a pursuit in the Galleria area on Westheimer. He said the suspect was out on a low bond and ankle monitor.
“Too many of our criminal court judges and our magistrates are actually letting people with violent histories, and a history of being repeat offenders in one door and out the other," Acevedo said.
Mayor Sylvester Turner said there are reasons to cut back in several city departments in order to work within the city's budget.
“We can't balance it without significant reductions," Turner said.
For the Houston Police Department, that means five cadet classes were deferred. That’s 350 officers Acevedo won’t have to protect our streets.
"It’s important that the congress, that the people of Harris County and the city of Houston speak up since none of us live on an island and the criminals are very mobile, they go all over this region, victimizing people," Acevedo said.
Acevedo is hoping to get money from the CARES Act to fund his officers. It's the coronavirus relief bill President Donald Trump signed into law and is supposed to be available for local governments.
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