AFFAIRS.
AFFAIRS. THE FORMER AUSTIN MAYOR SERVED
IN THE
IN THE
IN THE TEXAS SENATE SINCE 2006 AND HIS
LAST DAY WILL BE AT
THE END OF APRIL.
>>> THE TERM TEXAS JUSTICE IS
OFTEN SYNONYMOUS
OFTEN SYNONYMOUS WITH TOUGH ON CRIME.
OUR FIRST DESK HAS A REALITY
FAR FROM THAT.
HOUSTON POLICE CHIEF ART
ACEVEDO IS
ACEVEDO IS NOT AFRAID TO SPEAK HIS MIND
AND HE UNLEASHED ABOUT
IT ON FACEBOOK ABOUT AT THE
OTHER DAY.
OTHER DAY. CHIEF ART
CHIEF ART
CHIEF ART ACEVEDO SAID "ONCE AGAIN, A
SUSPECT ALREADY CHARGED
WITH MURDER AND TWO AGGRAVATED
ASSAULTS IN 2017 WAS
OUT ON BOND AND NOW HE IS ABOUT
TO BE CHARGED WITH
MURDER AGAI ." THIS IS BEYOND
OUTRAGES THE CHIEF
SAID.
SAID.
SAID. WHEN WILL THE PEOPLE OF HARRIS
COUNTY TEXAS
COUNTY TEXAS AND THE NATION WAKE UP AND HOLD
JUDGES ACCOUNTABLE?
JUDGES ACCOUNTABLE? >> CHIEF ART ACEVEDO IS WITH
US.
US.
US. GOOD
US. GOOD MORNING TO
YOU.
YOU.
YOU. >>
YOU. >> GOOD TO BE HERE.
>> THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.
LET'S START WITH
TEXAS JUSTICE.
TEXAS JUSTICE. YOU SAID ON FACEBOOK THE OTHER
DAY
DAY
DAY THAT
DAY THAT 25% OF SUSPECTS CHARGED
WITH MURDERS AND
HOUSTON WERE ALREADY ON
PROBATION OR PAROLE.
WHAT
WHAT
WHAT IN
WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON?
>> WE ARE LIVING IN A TIME
WHERE TEXAS IN THE
70s, 80S AND 90S WAS A LOCK
THEM UP AND THROW AWAY
THE KEY STATE, TO A STATE WHERE
YOU CAN'T GET THEM
OUT OF JAIL FAST ENOUGH.
SO WE HAVE TAKEN CRIMINAL
JUSTICE REFORM TO AN EXTENT
WHERE WE ARE PUTTING
SUSPECTS ABOVE THE VICTIM AND
WHERE COMMON SENSE HAS
BEEN THROWN AWAY WITH THE
PROVERBIAL KEY.
PROVERBIAL KEY. WE HAVE
WE HAVE
WE HAVE TO RECALIBRATE AND START
LETTING PEOPLE KNOW WHAT IS
GOING ON IN OUR STATE.
>> IS THIS A PROBLEM WITH THE
LEGISLATURE OR LOCAL
JUDGES?
JUDGES?
JUDGES? WHERE DO YOU SEE THIS FALL?
>> I THINK IT IS A PROBLEM
WITH ALL THE ABOVE.
WE
WE
WE HAVE
WE HAVE ACTIVISTS THAT BELIEVE
THAT NO ONE SHOULD BE
BEHIND BARS.
BEHIND BARS. EVERYBODY SHOULD -- SOMEHOW
IT GOES
IT GOES
IT GOES THE OTHER WAY AROUND.
WE HAVE ACTIVISTS JUDGES THAT
THEIR IDEA OF PROBABLE CAUSE,
WE ARE NOT SURE WHAT
IT IS BECAUSE THEY ARE KICKING
OUT CASES LEFT AND
RIGHT.
RIGHT.
RIGHT. DESPITE THE FACT THAT THERE IS
ABSOLUTE
ABSOLUTE
ABSOLUTE PROBABLE CAUSE.
PROBABLE CAUSE. WE HAVE JUDGES THAT ARE GIVING
PEOPLE'S LAPS ON THE WRIST.
QUITE FRANKLY WHAT WE
NEED IS A LEGISLATURE TO STEP
IN AND TO HAVE REPEAT
OFFENDERS AND CRIMINALS LIKE
BURGLARS STEP IN AND
COME UP WITH SOME PARAMETERS.
IT IS NOT JUST BASED
ON MONEY BUT BASED ON RISK.
WHAT IS THE RISK OF
FLIGHT AND WHAT IS THE RISK OF
PUBLIC SAFETY?
PUBLIC SAFETY? WHEN
WHEN
WHEN YOU
WHEN YOU HAVE PUBLIC MURDERS ACROSS
THE STATE AND IN
TEXAS'S LARGEST CITY AND THEY
ARE GETTING OUT WITH
$5000 OR $10,000 IN CASH WHILE
ON BAIL AND KILLING
OTHER PEOPLE, THAT IS A
PROBLEM.
PROBLEM.
PROBLEM. AND THAT IS TIME
FOR US TO SPEAK UP.
BECAUSE CHILDREN, NEIGHBORS AND
FRIENDS ARE BEING MURDERED BY
PEOPLE THAT SHOULD
HAVE NEVER BEEN ON THE STREETS
TO BEGIN WITH.
>> IS THIS AN ISSUE WITH A
BOND SCHEDULE?
BOND SCHEDULE? THE
THE
THE PAPER
THE PAPER THAT THE JUDGES GO BY, OR
IS IT JUDGES BEING
SOFT ON CRIME?
>> I THINK IT IS WHITE
FRANKLY JUDGES THAT ARE NOT
HOLDING PEOPLE ACCOUNTABLE AND
NOT MAKING AN
ASSESSMENT. AND THE LAST
SESSION, I KNOW THAT JOHN
WHITMIRE WAS THE DEAN OF THE
SENATE AND WANTED TO
PASS LEGISLATION IN TERMS OF
HAVING A TOOL THAT IS A
RISK ASSESSMENT TOOL. AND
AGAIN SCORES WHAT PEOPLE
IN TERMS OF CRIMINAL HISTORY
AND NATURE OF THE
CRIME, WHETHER OR NOT THEY
SHOULD HAVE BAIL AND
QUITE FRANKLY, TOO MANY PEOPLE
ARE OUT ON LOW BOND
OR NO CASH AT ALL.
>> HOW DID WE GET TO THIS
STEP?
STEP?
STEP? THE
STEP? THE TERM TEXAS
JUSTICE IS WHAT YOU MENTIONED.
YOU MAKE SURE YOU
PAY FOR THE CRIME YOU DID.
HOW DID WE ARRIVE HERE?
>> I THINK ON THE EXTREME
LEFT, IT IS ABOUT CIVIL
LIBERTIES. AND LET'S RESTORE
PEOPLE AND LIFT THEM
UP.
UP.
UP. I'M
UP. I'M ALL FOR THAT.
BUT WE HAVE TO USE COMMON
SENSE.
SENSE.
SENSE. ON
SENSE. ON THE EXTREME RIGHT, IT IS
ABOUT BOW DOWN
TO THE BAIL INDUSTRY OR QUITE
FRANKLY WE DON'T WANT
TO PAY THE COST OF
INCARCERATING PEOPLE.
INCARCERATING PEOPLE. WHAT
WHAT
WHAT PEOPLE DON'T UNDERSTAND IS THAT
WHEN SOMEBODY DIES,
THE ECONOMIC TOLL IS TREMENDOUS
FOR EVERY MURDER AND
THE EMOTIONAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL
TOLL FOR THE PEOPLE
OF TEXAS IS ASTRONOMICAL.
AND SO WE HAVE TO BRING
TRANSPARENCY BACK TO THE
CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM.
LAW ENFORCEMENT IS ALWAYS UNDER
THE MICROSCOPE.
THE MICROSCOPE. IT
IT
IT IS
IT IS TIME TO PUT THE MICROSCOPE
UNDER THE DISTRICT
ATTORNEY'S OFFICE IN THE STATE
AND THE JUDGES IN THE
STATE BECAUSE THEY NEED TO BE
ABLE TO ANSWER AND BE
HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE
DECISIONS THEY ARE MAKING
THAT IS IMPACTING SAFETY.
>> OUR STATION DID A STORY
ABOUT THE NUMBER OF
PEOPLE INVOLVED IN HIGH-SPEED
CHASES.
CHASES.
CHASES. RUNNING FROM
RUNNING FROM YOU GUYS ON THE FREEWAYS IN
HOUSTON.
HOUSTON.
HOUSTON. MORE THAN HALF
OF THOSE PEOPLE YOU FINALLY
CATCH AND ARREST NEVER
SERVE ANY PRISON TIME DESPITE
THIS BEING A
THIRD-DEGREE FELONY.
THIRD-DEGREE FELONY. >> WHAT PEOPLE DON'T
UNDERSTAND IS THAT CROOKS,
BELIEVE IT OR NOT, DO A RISK
VERSUS BENEFIT
VERSUS BENEFIT ANALYSIS.
ANALYSIS.
ANALYSIS. WE PURSUE HERE IN THE CITY -
>> REALLY?
>> REALLY? >> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. LOOK, WE CAN TRY TO GET YOU
VIDEOS
VIDEOS
VIDEOS WHERE PEOPLE ARE ON A WIRE.
AND CROOKS WILL MAKE
DECISIONS.
DECISIONS. BACK IN MY DAYS BETWEEN TRAVIS
COUNTY
COUNTY
COUNTY AND WILLIAMSON COUNTY, TRAVIS
WAS SOFT ON CRIME AND
WILLIAMSON WAS SOMETIMES TOO
TOUGH ON CRIME.
AND WE
AND WE
AND WE TRIED TO SET UP A DEAL.
AND THE WILLIAMSON COUNTY
CORONER HELD AN INTERSECTION
WHERE THE TRAVIS COUNTY
CORONER IS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF
THE INTERSECTION.
THE INTERSECTION. WE HAVE REAL STORIES OF TEXAS
POLICING WHERE THEY
SAY, LET'S NOT DO IT AT THAT
GAS STATION, THAT IS
WILLIAMSON COUNTY.
WILLIAMSON COUNTY. LET'S DO IT AT THIS GAS STATION
BECAUSE IT IS TRAVIS COUNTY.
SO THEY DO.
THEY PAY
THEY PAY
THEY PAY ATTENTION.
ATTENTION. AND ONE LAST THING.
IT IS REALLY
IMPORTANT.
IMPORTANT. WE CANNOT KEEP CATCHING VIOLENT
FELONS
FELONS
FELONS WITH A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE AND
HISTORY OF COMMITTING
VIOLENCE AGAINST OTHERS WITH
FIREARMS.
FIREARMS.
FIREARMS. THEY ARE
THEY ARE
THEY ARE PROHIBITED FROM HAVING THEM AND
NOTHING IS DONE TO
THEM.
THEM.
THEM. WE
THEM. WE HAVE GOT TO HOLD THESE
CRIMINALS
CRIMINALS
CRIMINALS ACCOUNTABLE FOR UNLAWFUL
POSSESSION OF A FIREARM.
THAT IS SOMETHING I HOPE THE
GOVERNOR AND THE
LEGISLATURE WILL LOOK AT AS
WELL.
WELL.
WELL. >>
WELL. >> CHIEF, YOU HAVE NEVER BEEN
AFRAID TO SPEAK YOUR
MIND.
MIND.
MIND. YOU
MIND. YOU ARE ONE OF THE FEW POLICE
CHIEFS IN TEXAS
THAT WILL GET OUT THERE AND SAY
WHAT IS ON YOUR
MIND.
MIND.
MIND. DO
MIND. DO YOU HAVE ANY POLITICAL
ASPIRATIONS?
ASPIRATIONS? >> WE LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE, I
EQUALLY ANGER THE
EXTREME LEFT AND THE EXTREME
RIGHT.
RIGHT.
RIGHT. AND PEOPLE THAT
ARE FOCUSED MORE ON GOOD POLICY
AND COMMON SENSE AND
TRYING TO HAVE AN IMPACT REALLY
HAVE NO PLACE IN
EITHER POLITICAL PARTY BECAUSE
BOTH OF THEM, WHEN IT
COMES TO THEIR BASE, THEY ARE
OUT OF TOUCH WITH THE
REST OF THE PEOPLE IN TEXAS AND
THE UNITED STATES
AND I THINK THAT IS WHY THERE
IS SO MUCH FRUSTRATION
IN