Gov. Abbott Praises Early Results Of Crime Fighting Initiative In Houston

AUSTIN, TX — Gov. Greg Abbott’s has released the results of his crime fighting initiative launched in Houston and Harris County last month, and according to those results are already having positive results.

In a press releases issued Monday, Abbott said the initiative, called Operation North Star, had led to the arrests of hundreds of criminals in the first month of operation. (Sign up for the free Houston Patch morning newsletter.)

“Texas is a law and order state, and I’m proud of the remarkable efforts of our law enforcement officers to crack down on those who seek to bring violence into our communities,” Abbott said in a prepared statement. “My top priority as governor is to keep our citizens safe, and I will not waiver in that effort.”

Abbott announced the launch of Operation North Star during a press conference on April 10, citing the increase of gang-related criminal activity in Harris County as a factor.

See Also: Gov. Abbott Announces Anti-Gang Initiative

“This recent wave of senseless violence cannot continue,” Abbott said at his press conference. “Government’s foremost responsibility is to keep our citizens safe and secure. Texas will take action and use all lawful means to put an end to this lawlessness.”

After his announcement in April, Abbott established a Tactical Operations Center to enhance and coordinate operations around the clock, and provided $500,000 in new funding from the Governor’s Criminal Justice Division to increase Texas Anti-Gang Center resources in the Houston area.

As a result, Operation North Star resulted in more than 450 suspects arrested, including 26 suspects from ten highly-organized and coordinated robbery crews, according to the press release.

“The Harris County Sheriff’s Office has made a priority of focusing our law enforcement resources on initiatives that will have the most significant impact on improving public safety,” said Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez. “Operation North Star...removed scores of violent offenders from our neighborhoods. I want to thank the team of law officers from DPS and other partner agencies that helped the Harris County Sheriff’s Office make our community safer by zeroing in on violent criminals who pose a real threat to Texas.”

Image: Gov. Greg Abbott Portrait

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