Harris County’s nonviolent 911 response program was approved for countywide implementation, including all unincorporated areas, after Harris County commissioners passed the agenda item with a 3-1 vote Aug. 7. Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey cast the dissenting vote.

The impact

Harris County resident Mia Hernandez told Harris County commissioners Aug. 7 how critical the 911 nonviolent response program expansion was to her family when her son experienced a mental health crisis at home in the summer of 2023.

“Officers calmly responded while the unarmed mental health professional engaged my son,” Hernandez said. “He assessed him and recommended that [my son] be taken to [Harris County Psychiatric Center] not to jail.”

Hernandez said when her son was in crisis two months later, a crisis response team was not available, and Houston police arrested her son. He was ultimately given a felony charge by the officer, she said.

Those in favor

Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis and Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones held a press conference before court and spoke about the Holistic Assistance Response Team pilot program’s broader public health strategy since its launch in 2022. Briones said HART separates county resources when it comes to crisis needs versus crime response.

“The bottom line is this is smart public safety,” Briones said. “We connect individuals in time of crisis who might need mental health assistance, addiction assistance, to the services they may need, and then that frees up our law enforcement officers' time so they can double down, respond more promptly to urgent calls with regard to violent crimes.”

By the numbers

Harris County Public Health’s Community Health and Violence Prevention Services Division launched the pilot program in 2022 in Cypress Station, located in north Harris County, to address root causes of violence for those experiencing social welfare crises, according to the program’s website. By 2023, commissioners voted to expand the HART program further into areas where the county sheriff’s office covers District IV in Precinct 4.

HCPH presented data on HART’s role in violent crime reduction in Cypress Station during a July 30 Violence Prevention Conference held in downtown Houston. Since the program launch, HART officials have:

  • Diverted more than 4,500 non-violent calls
  • Freed more than 2,100 deputy hours for violent crime response
  • Provided on-scene care to 2,834 residents and connected them to services

At least 11 HART teams operate in areas the county sheriff’s office covers in northwest Harris County, according to HCPH data. With the approved program expansion, at least 18 staff positions will be funded within the county’s public health division as a budget-neutral item, county officials said. More than 21,100 total dispatch and call response efforts have taken place in north Harris County since 2022, according to the HART dashboard.

Those opposed

While Ramsey acknowledged the HART initiative was well-intended, he told court members how the county’s existing first responder and emergency response teams are equipped and sufficient.

One of the programs Ramsey mentioned is within the county’s behavioral health department. The Clinician Office Remote Evaluation, or CORE, connects law enforcement officers with licensed clinicians from the Harris Center via a tablet in order to complete an individual's mental health crisis assessment, according to the program’s website.

The second program mentioned was Community Emergency Response Team, or CERT, a FEMA-based program that trains citizens in first-responder basic skills so they can be accessible as part of an emergency response team in their area, according to the program’s website.

“I think it’s well-intended in terms of what is being asked for,” Ramsey said, “ but I think, particularly in this time of budget issues, I believe CORE and CERT are taking care of us.”

What residents should know

For individuals in crisis needing to reach HART, HCPH officials suggested the following options:

  • Option 1: Dial or text 911
  • Option 2: Dial the HCSO non-emergency number at 713-221-6000
  • Option 3: Contact Violence Prevention Services at 713-274-4877