>>> NO MATTER HOW YOU LOOK AT
IT, THE HARDING STREET RAID OF
JANUARY 28, 2019, WAS A TRAGIC
SITUATION FO THE COUPLE KILLED
IN A NIGHT -- AND A NIGHT MAYOR
FOR THE HOUSTON POLICE
DEPARTMENT.
INFORMATION CAME OUT THAT SHOWED
THE NO-KNOCK WARRANT ISSUED WAS
OBTAINED WITH FALSE INFORMATION
GIVEN BY OFFICERS WHO WERE
INDICTMENTED IN THE MONTHS
FOLLOWING.
AS WE APPROACH THIS SECOND
ANNIVERSARY OF THIS DAY, CHIEF,
HOW MUCH MORE NEEDS TO BE DONE
BY HPD AND THE ENTIRE JUDICIAL
FAMILY IN JACKET TO GAIN THE
TRUST LOST ON THAT DAY AND THE
MONTHS SINCE?
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, FIRST OF ALL,
I -- IT IS A TRAGEDY AND MY
HEART GOES OUT TO THE FAMILIES
OF YOU KNOW, OF -- INVOLVED IN
THIS TRAGEDY.
BUT I ALSO DON’T WANT TO LOSE
SIGHT OF THE FACT THAT
EVERYTHING THAT CAME OUT IN
TERMS OF WHAT HAPPENED WAS AS A
RESULT OF THIS POLICE DEPARTMENT
ACTUALLY ASKING TOUGH QUESTIONS.
AS A RESULT OF THAT TRAGEDY,
WE’VE ACTUALLY CHANGED THE WAY
WE DO BUSINESS.
WE ACTUALLY HAVE LED THE NATION
IN PRETTY MUCH ELIMINATING
NO-KNOCK WARRANTS OUTSIDE OF THE
APPROVAL OF THE POLICE CHIEF OR
THE TWO CHIEF ASSISTANTS CHIEF
AND WE HAVE EXECUTED ZERO
NO-KNOCK WARRANTS.
AS A RESULT WE HAVE POSITIONED
THE DEPARTMENT TO PROVIDE BETTER
SERVICES WITH THE HIGHER LEVEL
ACCOUNTABILITY AND AT THE END OF
THE DAY, WE DID THE RIGHT THING.
YOU KNOW, A LOT OF TIMES FOLKS
IN POLICE DEPARTMENTS CAN’T
INVESTIGATE THEMSELVES, THEY
HAVEN’T TRUST TO INVESTIGATE
THEMSELVES.
AND THEY SIMPLY SWEEP THINGS
UNDER THE RUG.
AND IN THIS INSTANT IT SHOWED A
POLICE DEPARTMENT THAT DESPITE
THE FACT THE FOUR OFFICERS SHOT
IN THIS RAID, ONE PARALYZED, WE
DIDN’T JUST SAY, HEY, YOU KNOW,
WE GOT SHOT AT.
WE SHOT BACK.
AND CASE CLOSED.
WE WILL ACTUALLY ASKED THE TOUGH
QUESTIONS AND TO ME, THAT’S A
SILVER LINING IN A VERY TRAGIC
SET OF CIRCUMSTANCES.
>> ANYTIME AN OFFICER FIRES HIS
WEAPON, THERE’S TYPICALLY AN
INVESTIGATION, SOMETHING HAPPENS
AS A RESULT OF THAT.
ARE YOU SATISFIED WITH THE
AMOUNT OF TRANSPARENC YOU
HAVE IN YOUR DEPARTMENT WHEN
YOUR OFFICERS OPENED FIRE?
I’M NOT TALKING ABOUT THE
HARDING STREET.
I’M TALKING ABOUT OTHER ISSUES
GOING FORWARD.
>> I THINK WE NEED TO -- WE’RE
PUTTING TOGETHER A PROCESS NOW
TO ACTUALLY START RELEASING
BODY-WORN CAMERA TAPES IN TERMS
OF OFFICER-INVOLVED SHOOTINGS.
THE MAYOR’S TASK FORCE HAS MADE
SOME RECOMMENDATIONS AND WITHIN
THE FIRST QUARTER OF NEXT YEAR,
WE’LL HAVE THAT PROCESS WELL
DEFINED, WELL ESTABLISHED.
AND YOU’RE GOING TO SEE A MORE
TIMELY RELEASE OF VIDEOTAPES.
THE ONLY THING THAT WE HAVE TO
WORRY ABOUT AND BALANCE IS THE
CONCERN OF PRETRIAL PUBLICITY
AND THE POTENTIAL FOR A CASE TO
BE REMOVED FROM HARRIS COUNTY,
THE MOST DIVERSE CITY IN HOUSTON
AND PROBABLY THE MOST DIVERSE -- ONE OF THE MOST DIVERSE COUNTIES
ONE OF THE MOST DIVERSE COUNTIES
IN THE NATION, TO HAVE THIS A
CRITICAL INCIDENT, ESPECIALLY
ONE WHERE OFFICERS ARE CHARGED
WITH SERIOUS FELONIES TO REMOVE
IT AND HAVE IT MOVED TO EAST
TEXAS OR SOME OTHER PLACE, IS
NOT REFLECTIVE OF OUR COMMUNITY.
AND THEN THE OFFICERS END UP
GETTING ACQUITTED OR A MISTRIAL.
THAT WOULD BE ANOTHER SET OF
PROBLEMS.
AND SO WE HAVE TO BE AS
TRANSPARENT AS POSSIBLE AND
BALANCE THOSE ISSUES AND MAKE
SURE THE PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THAT
EVERYTHING WE DO HAS THE
POTENTIAL FOR CONSEQUENCES AND
UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES THAT MAY
NOT MAKE THE COMMUNITY HAPPY.
YOU’RE GOING TO SEE ADDITIONAL
TRANSPARENCY, NEW POLICIES, AND
WE’LL BE SEEING THAT EARLY IN
THE NEW YEAR.
>> ANOTHER SIDE OF THE COIN,
CHIEF, THERE ARE MANY FINE
OFFICERS WHO GO TO WORK EVERY
DAY TO PROTECT AND SERVE.
SOME OF THEM DON’T MAKE IT HOME.
THAT’S A REALITY OF YOUR
BUSINESS.
AND YOU’VE LOST FOUR IN THE LAST
12 MONTHS.
HAROLD PRESTON AND JOHN RIOS
WITHIN WEEKS OF EACH OTHER.
TALK ABOUT THE DANGERS THEY FACE
EACH DAY AND THE CHALLENGES TO
MAINTAIN THE POSITIVE
RELATIONSHIP THE COMMUNITIES IN
WHICH THEY SERVE WHILE THEY’RE
PUTTING THEIR LIVES AT RISK.
>> WE LOST FIVE WITH OFFICER
REAL WHO LOST -- LOST HIS LIFE
TO COVID.
SO IN LESS THAN 12 MONTHS, WE
HAD THREE OFFICERS GUNNED DOWN
RELATED TO GUN VIOLENCE AND TWO
OF THEM RELATED TO DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE.
ONE IN JASON KNOCKS WHO -- KNOX
WHO DIED IN A HELICOPTER CRASH
AND OBVIOUSLY OFFICER REAL WITH
THE COVID.
IT JUST SHOWS THE AMOUNT OF
VIOLENCE.
YOU KNOW, WHAT REALLY BREAKS MY
HEART SOMETIMES FOR OUR POLICE
OFFICERS IS THAT RIGHTFULLY SO,
WHEN WE HAVE A USE OF DEADLY
FORCE, WE SHOULD SCRUTINIZE IT.
WE SHOULD TALK ABOUT IT.
WE SHOULD HOLD OFFICERS
ACCOUNTABLE.
BUT WE’RE NOT TALKING ENOUGH
ABOUT JUST VIOLENCE IN THIS
NATION EACH AND EVERY DAY.
JUST THIS MORNING I WAS READING
AN ARTICLE ABOUT THE
DISPROPORTIONALITY AND HOW MUCH
GUN VIRUS IS IMPACTING
DISTORTIONAT COMMUNITIES OF
COLOR AND VIOLENT CRIME IS
IMPACTING COMMUNITIES OF COLOR.
SO I’M HOPEFUL AS WE MOVE INTO
2-1 AND WE GET -- TWO-1 AND WE
GET PAST COVID AND MOVE INTO
CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM, THAT WE
ALSO NOT JUST DO AN EITHER WERE
SLOR PROPOSITION -- EITHER/OR,
BUT HOW DO WE MAKE THE SAFETY OF
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AND SADLY
THE COMMUNITIES THAT NEED BETTER
OUTCOMES OR COMMUNITY -- ARE
COMMUTERS OF COLOR AND POOR
COMMUNITIES INCLUDING POOR WHITE
COMMUNITIES, HOW ARE WE GOING TO
AS A SOCIETY COMBAT THE VIOLENCE
FACED BY THESE COMMUNITY EVERY
DAY.
SO YOU KNOW, WE’LL BE PAST COVID
HERE, GOD WILLING, IN THE NEXT 6
MONTHS AS A NATION.
WE’LL BE IN A BETTER PLACE ON
THE OTHER END.
AND THEN I’M HOPEFUL IN 2021 WE
BROADEN THE CONVERSATION AND NOT
JUST FOCUS ON POLICING BUT ALSO
ON THE TRANSPARENCY OF WHAT THE
COURTS ARE DOING ACROSS THE
COUNTRY, ACROSS -- PROSECUTORS
ARE DOING ACROSS THE COUNTRY,
WHAT JUDGES ARE DOING, WHAT
PUBLIC DEFENSE OFFICERS ARE
DOING ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
AND THEN GO BEYOND THAT TO THE
SOCIETAL ISSUES IN TERMS OF
EDUCATION AND HEALTH AND JOBS
PROGRAMS AND TRAINING PROGRAMS
AND EVERYTHING ELSE.
NOT ONLY IMPACTS CRIME, NOT ONLY
IMPACTS THE ECONOMY, NOT ONLY
IMPACTS THE LIVES AND THE
QUALITY OF THE LIVES IN THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE BUT ULTIMATELY
IMPACTS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
THE LAW ENFORCEMENT AND THE
COMMUNITY.
WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK AHEAD.
AND WE’LL STAY VIGILANT PO
PERSEVERE AND NOT GIVE OUT EACH
OTHER AND TO WORK TOGETHER TO --
FOR BETTER OUTCOMES FOR ALL
AMERICANS INCLUDING OUR OFFICERS
AND THE COMMUNITIES WE’RE
PRIVILEGED TO SERVE.
>> WE’LL COME BACK AND TALK TO
HIM ABOUT IT AGAIN.
CHIEF, STAY SAFE.
THANK YOU FOR TIMING YOUR TIME
WITH US THIS MORNING.
APPRECIATE ALL YOU DO.
>> HERE’S TO A GREAT HOLIDAY FOR
EVERYONE.
I HAVE MATT IN THE BACK WORKING.
AND AS SOON AS WE HANG UP WE’RE
GOING TO GET BACK TO WORK IN
TRYING TO KEEP THIS GREAT