Houston has a problem, with crime.
The homicide rate in Houston was up 18% in 2021, and is almost double from the numbers from two years ago. There were over 470 murders in 2021, compared to just 277 in 2019.
"2021 turned out to be one of highest years we've seen in over a decade" said Doug Griffith, president of the Houston Police Officers Union, "Almost 500 people killed, over a hundred of those were killed by people out on multiple felony bond, and we're looking at records in almost every category."
As we noted throughout last year, it all starts with the bail reform issue, which is supposed to improve in 2022. But the other key will come at the ballot box, when voters will have the chance to replace the liberal judges who continue to let criminals free, and replace them with Republicans.
"The only way that we're going to turn this around is to pay attention to who we're voting for, and we have to vote Republican when we're talking about our judges" Griffith told KTRH, "We're also going to have to put an emphasis on hiring more police officers. I think if we combine on those two issues, I think we'll see a big dent in Harris County."
The Texas legislature passed SB 6 requiring cash bail for those who commit violent crimes, and it went into effect on December 2nd. Coming up here in January, more provisions in the bill, including a new system for court officers to review the criminal history of defendants before setting bail.
"We've gotta get a handle on that, we've got to get a handle on our judges not doing their jobs, and force them to do what they were elected to do, which is to protect the citizens of Harris County" Griffith said.
Here's to a better fight against crime in 2022!
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