Department: Management and Budget
Department Head/Elected Official: Daniel Ramos, Executive Director
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Supplemental RCA
Type of Request: Financial Authorization
Project ID (if applicable): Violent_Crime
Vendor/Entity Legal Name (if applicable): N/A
MWDBE Contracted Goal (if applicable): N/A
MWDBE Current Participation (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% MWDBE Participation Goal: N/A - Goal not applicable to request
Request Summary (Agenda Caption):
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Request by the Office of Management and Budget for approval of an allocation of up to $575,000 to the Sheriff's Office for the Violent Crime Reduction Initiative.
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Background and Discussion:
On March 30, 2021, Commissioner's Court approved a $3M program targeting violent and serious crime. This program enabled the Harris County Sheriff's Office (HCSO) to successfully reduce the backlog of violent crimes and investigative response times and increase the number of violent offenders arrested and charged.
The impact on response times has enabled the HCSO to drive better outcomes. In total, 470 charges have been made YTD since the inception of the program. From June 1 - June 30 the unit has closed over 300 cases. These results have also been achieved as the HCSO has been able to utilize an "All Hands-on Deck" approach in responding to active investigations.
While funding for 35 new investigators was approved in the FY23 planning budget, these resources will not be available before the VCRI funding runs out. The VCRI allocation is expected to be depleted in the first week of August 2022. The following issues exacerbate the problem:
1. HCSO will not be able to transfer experienced deputies into the 35 investigative positions now due to staffing shortages in Patrol.
Expected Impact:
Significant case backlog reduction and felony charge filings have been achieved with the first $3 million invested. It is anticipated that the final $575K will produce similar progress. In ...
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