Ramsey said the launch of the task force was a response to an increase in crime, citing more than 600 homicides countywide in the past year.
Agencies in attendance included four county constable offices and six city and neighborhood police departments. According to the release, officials discussed successful tactics, shared their departments’ needs and identified potential areas of collaboration.
“Harris County has become synonymous with Gotham City, and it’s sad. I and the brave law enforcement leaders here with me are ready to get our cities and county back from the dangerous individuals who are overrunning them. There’s a lot of great minds coming together here, and I’m excited to see all that will come of this,” Ramsey said in a statement.
County commissioners have implemented several new crime prevention initiatives in recent years, including investing additional funds for law enforcement overtime pay, a $50 million neighborhood cleanup program, precision policing in unincorporated areas, and violence prevention programs including the Holistic Alternative Response Team and Gun Violence Interruption Program.
