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>> He’s already on 2 PR bonds
gets charged with another
felony. Auto theft.
>> That should have been in
sync it’s back out again.
>> We have people who have
booked for murder charged with
murder released while charged
with murder and murdering again
so is like Groundhog day not
just when there’s County will
start to happen around the
country.
>> That is just some of the
unified frustration coming from
longtime victim rights advocate
Andy Kahn now the director of
victim services and advocacy of
crime stoppers of Houston.
An hpd chief art Acevedo in
agreement about the challenges
of felons getting out on bond
not once or twice but more
often and then commit more
crimes. Joining me to talk
about this problem that has
been under the radar for many
but not for advocates as Ron
human carry out such CEO of
crime stoppers of Houston.
Good morning Rhonda good to see
you so this has been around for
a long time talk about why this
is such an issue and what your
organization is helping to try
to do about it.
>> You know it’s an issue we we
started noticing over a year
ago but 2 years ago in fact and
we said why are we looking at
you know we’re looking for John
Smith, we know that law
enforcement arrested John Smith
and then a few months later
we’re getting reports are
looking for John Smith again on
another felony offense,
something is not adding up here
and what we realize that there
is this amongst the criminal
justice and you know there’s
reform happening across this
country to release we’re just
going to continue to release
violent. Had the issue all
offenders and I want to make it
clear I have so many people
that call me or e-mail me after
I talk about this and say you
know we’ve got to have grace
and compassion for the mom who
just stole you know toilet
paper from the local grocery
For the first time offender
this just trying to make ends
meet for misdemeanors for
misdemeanor crimes, we’re not
talking about any of that we’re
talking specifically about
violence repeated felony
offenders who are murdering
r***** killing their you know
involved in trafficking they
are doing the worst of the
worst and law enforcement’s
going out of their way they are
arresting these people they’re
going to the criminal justice
system only to turn around and
be released and then they go
back out and commit another
felony offense. We have enough
we’ve heard from an effect and
the community that say we
cannot function this way and so
we’ve been really active about
collecting data diving into the
information and making the community where so now going
community where so now going
forward here make me aware
about this is a bond setting is
it always the discretion of the
judge.
>> It is and what we’re finding
is that you know in any court
you can now the judge you can
visit in judge and of course we
vote for judge is freaking out
or magistrate who is appointed
and a lot of times we don’t
even know who that person is so
senator Bettencourt has
recently issued legislation
that will change that that was
the only presiding judge can
and a declaration on apr on
that can’t be decided by a
magistrate or somebody that’s
not actually voted for by the
people. So is it.
>> The question then becomes
that’s when it can be taken
away I know the Legislature is
talking about doing some things
as well as an avenue could a
legislative body. Take away the
rights of a judge to actually
do what judges are supposed to
do which is judge.
>> And that’s the thing that’s
what they’re going to they’re
going to go through this whole
hearing this session that we’re
about to approach on that’s
going to be one of the biggest
issues from governor Abbott who
is using our to senator
Betancourt center Hofmann
senator Whitmire this is a
bipartisan effort to say look
this is a disaster some have
called it a crime bombs because
what we’re what we’re dealing
with is a culture that is one
punishing Yeah, we all agree
that you law enforcement reform
is necessary and crime stoppers
was on that committee put
together by Mayor Turner reforms critical. But we’re
reforms critical. But we’re
this culture punishing police
having them operate with one
hand tied behind their backs
while you’re then dealing with
the criminal justice system
that is rigged repeatedly
releasing not even join risk
assessments anymore. The basics
not touching risk risk
assessments releasing these
violent offenders back into the
community under this notion of
I’m assuming or what I’m
hearing a social justice in Kim
Burrell is the daughter of an
immigrant you I with a heart
for all minorities across this
country. I think that is fake
social justice because I’ll
tell you and he has tracked
just 91 just saying one that’s
an unbelievable number 91 men,
women and children who have paid the ultimate price for
paid the ultimate price for
these decisions they have lost
their lives 3, 3, women who are
pregnant and of that 91 I give
you the exact number 69 for 69
were minors, 70 minorities, 75%
were minorities. So we’re
releasing these violent felony
offenders and they’re going
back into the community and
they’re hurting and it is a
large majority of those victims
are minorities. So we’ve got to
be protecting all of our
citizens what can viewers do of
this programs to help you in
effort to get this changed.
>> I understand the issues you
know we’re we’re sort of living
in these echo chambers right
now we’re all we want to do is
playing the dia okay we want to
do now is playing the chief now
they want to just point the
governor’s we want everyone to
stop and we want everybody to
to understand what’s going on
we want them to follow the
cases we are pushing them out
almost daily now unfortunately
on what we’re seeing and then I
love for the media and as they
do their incredible reporting
and we love our local media
partners for when you are
sharing the stories for you to
to make it clear for the
audience who is the judge what
court was done was in the
presiding What was it a
magistrate who dis made this
decision of what India ask for
even just some bullet points at
the end because more and more
people are calling us than ever
before saying what’s happening
with crime in Harris County
we’ve lived here their whole
lives we’ve never seen it like
this what is going on and when
you start to explain it.
They say there’s no way there’s
no where elected officials have
allowed this and what I’ve
always says we have the best
elected officials either this
is an area where they are
pushing for an because they
don’t understand the
ramifications which is
extremely frightening or
they’re pushing for another
reason which is also extremely
frightening so you’ve got to
come back next month come back
one month from now let’s talk
about the safe schools and
everything else that you
continue to do you have so much
going how you manage to do it
don’t know when you sleep all
the stuff that’s going on, but
we got a lot to talk to us do
that next month promise to come