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Abbott Launches Harris County Task Force Targeting Repeat Violent Offenders

Abbott ties the rollout to recent bail reforms, leaving troop levels and timelines undisclosed.

Overview

  • The multi-agency effort brings together DPS troopers, Texas Rangers and local departments to pool investigative resources, run saturated patrols and use aviation and intelligence support.
  • State officials said residents should expect an immediate increase in uniformed patrols focused on high-crime areas, though specific neighborhoods were not identified.
  • Abbott framed Houston as the pilot for a model he intends to expand statewide, describing goals to identify, monitor and arrest repeat violent offenders.
  • The announcement highlighted political crosscurrents as the Harris County District Attorney’s Office said it was not invited and Mayor John Whitmire and the Houston police chief were absent.
  • Civil-liberties concerns resurfaced given prior DPS deployments in Austin and Dallas that drew criticism for racially targeted stops, even as Abbott noted Houston’s overall crime decline.