Crime Stoppers unveils new county stats
Crime Stoppers Houston will compile a new index to keep track of violent crime around Harris County and provide accessible data to the public, the organization said Wednesday.
The group — alongside law enforcement, prosecutors, victims’ families and business owners — revealed the launch of the index in collaboration with the newly founded Glenda Gordy Research Center. The data is expected to be available online by this fall as part of the organization’s Safe Community Institute, according to institute Director Sydney Zuiker.
In January, Zuiker said the group would begin tracking violent crime trends from 2015 onward as criminal justice stakeholders continue debating the county’s bail system and whether it has played a role on crime in the region.
“The crime index will be a regular report on felony crimes in Harris County to include homicide, aggravated assault, sexual assault and firearm-related offenses,” Zuiker said. “We plan to update this information monthly, and we will provide a mid-year State of Crime annually, each June, like we are today.”
Information from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Harris County District Clerk’s Office will be used to compile the data, Zuiker said, adding the goal is to make the data accessible to residents.
“We found in doing our research for this there just wasn't one centralized location for everything. So we're doing that internally,” she said. “It will be an easy place for every community member to come and to find exactly what they need in a very digestible manner.”
The data will initially include federal, state and local data but will focus more on local statistics within the next year, said Zuiker.
Among the data presented Wednesday was a 333 percent increase in the number of Texas children — up to age 11 — killed due to gun violence in the first five months of this year compared with the same time last year. The data was compiled using reports from DPS, Houston police and the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, according to Crime Stoppers.
In another categories, based on data provided by HPD and the Harris County Sheriff’s office, the organization’s statistics showed a 5 percent decrease in homicides and a 4 percent decrease in aggravated assaults this year compared with 2021.
The center will also focus on reporting crime rates by county precinct, and track judges, magistrates and re-offending defendants released on bonds for violent crimes, according to the group. They also plan on documenting which courts have the highest number of defendants released on personal recognizance or low bonds.
Before the announcement, law enforcement leaders and legislators reiterated their support for the role Crime Stoppers Houston plays in solving crimes in the region after a recent reports criticized the group of partisanship in local media.
“Crime Stoppers works. I'm tired of hearing, “When did crime become a partisan issue?” And that's one of my questions. When did it become a partisan issue? Crime doesn't discriminate,” Harris County Pct. 1 Constable Alan Rosen said. “It doesn't matter if you're Republican, Democrat, Libertarian. It doesn't matter if you're rich, you're poor, you're educated, you're not educated, your race, your gender, your religion. Crime doesn't discriminate.”
Other law enforcement representatives — such as Doug Griffith of the Houston Police Officers’ Union — criticized Harris County judges for not taking a tougher stance on continuous offenders and encouraged voters to take action at the polls.
“I’ll tell you about these judges,” Griffith said. “Most of these judges were brought in during the Beto (O’Rourke) sweep, which is neither here nor there. The deal is they don’t do their job.”
Griffith additionally referred to an instance where “socialist” Harris County misdemeanor Judge Franklin Bynum wore a “defund the police” shirt.
“We’ve got several of these judges that are nothing more than activists. They say on their website that they don't believe people should be in jail. That's a problem. That's not their job,” he said. “Again, I don't give a crap if you're a Republican or Democrat. Get out there, be educated and make that choice.”
April Aguirre — a family friend of 9-year-old Arlene Alvarez, who was fatally shot in February — spoke critically of Judge Lina Hidalgo and her public feud with District Attorney Kim Ogg, urging the judge to work for the citizens of Harris County and provide prosecutors and law enforcement with the proper support.
“You need to focus on Harris County and, if not you, then who?” Aguirre said. “If you have your differences with Kim Ogg, it is not our fault. It is not Arlene’s fault. We need justice. At the end, for victims, the only thing we have is our DA to get justice for us. We don't have anybody else.”