Keeping Harris County safe and healthy requires a combination of effective and fair crime prevention strategies and equitable community investments. It requires short- and long-term solutions. And it requires comprehensive data-driven decisions, free from partisan politics and misinformation campaigns.

That’s why instead of pointing fingers and playing politics, we are rolling up our sleeves and getting to work to advance meaningful efforts to make our communities safer. We have made investments proven to advance public safety strategies like gun-violence intervention. We’re setting up our alternative first responders to work alongside law enforcement to better address those dealing with mental health, homelessness and substance use.

We’re reducing criminal court backlogs by adding a permanent criminal district court; creating emergency impact dockets; approving six new associate judges, attorneys, and support staff; approving 22 intake positions at the District Attorney’s Office; and funding $3.5 million for the District Attorney’s triage program.

Also, we’ve continued to consistently invest in law enforcement, including a $16.5 million increase for the Sheriff’s Office overtime initiative to investigate violent crimes.

The efforts announced today continue this comprehensive approach and the County’s commitment to making all communities safer and healthier.

In the short term, we’re doing even more to drastically reduce the unprecedented backlog in our criminal courts to make us safer. Today’s investments in additional staff for associate judge courts and resources for the District Attorney to clear the evidence backlog will build upon other funding dedicated to reducing the court backlog, including creating six District Court associate judgeships and funding to support those courts.

In the long-term, common-sense investments that clean up areas in decline will prevent crime. Crime Prevention through Environmental Design has been successful in other cities, and Harris County is now exploring bringing it to our community. In just one example, a randomized controlled trial study in Philadelphia found that simply greening and trash pickup of vacant lots resulted in a 29 percent drop in violent crime.

Here in Harris County, we will lead the way by making our communities safer by immediately addressing acute conditions, while continuing our long-term prevention efforts.