HOUSTON \u2013 Houston City Council is preparing to decide whether to let voters weigh in on two hot-button policing issues this fall. A vote is expected Wednesday on whether to place both measures on the November ballot.<\/p>\n
The proposals \u2014 which made it onto the council agenda after activists say they collected roughly 40,000 signatures \u2014 would amend the city charter to make low-level marijuana possession the lowest enforcement priority for the Houston Police Department and ban the use of no-knock warrants.<\/p>\n
Ground Game Texas, a statewide organization focused on social justice, led the signature drive to get the measures in front of voters. Executive Director Catina Voellinger says the proposals, collectively known as the Houston Freedom Act, are straightforward.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese are just common sense policies,\u201d Voellinger said. \u201cThe Houston Freedom Act is really about priorities and accountability \u2014 saying that low-level cannabis possession should be the lowest enforcement priority of HPD and that they shouldn\u2019t use no-knock raids. In addition, the policy also asks the city to do an audit over the past five years to see the demographics of these types of arrests.\u201d<\/p>\n
Voellinger says the effort is about more than policy \u2014 it\u2019s about making sure those policies stick regardless of who leads the department.<\/p>\n
\u201cPolice chiefs come and go, and one police chief in the future might decide, \u2018Hey, we actually want to undo everything that the previous chief decided,\u2019\u201d Voellinger said. \u201cThis is the new policy and standards for the department. So we\u2019re just codifying this.\u201d<\/p>\n
The push comes against the backdrop of Texas\u2019 ongoing debate over marijuana enforcement and the memory of the 2019 Harding Street raid, in which Houston police served a no-knock warrant later found to be based on fabricated evidence. The raid ended in a shootout that killed two homeowners and injured several officers.<\/p>\n
Not everyone believes the measures are necessary. Douglas Griffith, president of the Houston Police Officers Union, says the proposals are attempting to fix a problem that no longer exists.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince Harding Street, we pretty much did away with no-knock warrants,\u201d Griffith said. \u201cThe only time those can be served is with approval by the chief of police himself, and our SWAT team runs it. We may do one or two a year \u2014 if that. I can\u2019t remember the last one we did. As far as marijuana goes, Harris County already has a diversion program with the DA\u2019s office, so we very rarely arrest anybody for marijuana anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
Griffith also pushed back on the argument that deprioritizing marijuana enforcement would free up officers to focus on more serious crimes.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything we do is on body camera,\u201d Griffith said. \u201cIf we find marijuana in a car, we still have to do a report, we still have to tag it and make sure they go through the diversion program. That would not change. So it doesn\u2019t help us at all \u2014 because anything seen on camera, you have to deal with.\u201d<\/p>\n
The measures are expected to be discussed Tuesday during public comment before a council vote Wednesday. Ground Game Texas is encouraging supporters to attend Tuesday\u2019s public comment session at City Hall to make their voices heard.<\/p>\n
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