TUESDAY, May 10, Harris County Pct. 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia was joined by County Judge Lina Hidalgo, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, and Pct. 6 Constable Silvia R. Trevino announced VIPER – a new violent crime warrants task force approved by Commissioners Court. The warrant roundup initiative aims to reduce the number of violent offenders on the loose in Harris County. After being considered by Commissioners Court, VIPER passed unanimously.

Below are selected comments from the event speakers:

“This historic investment in VIPER not only aims to address the warrant backlog of violent cases, for Harris County, it is a first-of-its-kind partnership between all local county law enforcement – the sheriff and constables. Our message to people who are accused of violent crime and have warrants issued for their arrest: you have a pair of handcuffs on, and you don’t even know it because VIPER is upon you.”

-Harris County Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia

“The simple truth is that justice delayed is justice denied. Denied for those who need to present themselves to authorities and denied for crime victims awaiting justice. When dangerous criminals aren’t apprehended quickly, it creates a sense that the government does not do its part in addressing serious crimes, making victims feel ignored and perpetrators empowered. That’s why this specific initiative is so important.”

-Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo

“50,000 active warrants in our community – 4,800 of those are for aggravated felonies. Almost 1,000 are for bond revocations. We need to make sure we are working together because every community and every precinct in Harris County has violent offenders that have absconded. We want them to know we are going to be out there looking for them.”

-Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez 

“When I read this VIPER Squad Proposal for a Harris County multi-law enforcement agency Task Force coming together, where the Sheriff’s Department and every Constable would be provided a deputy, and they would work TOGETHER as a TEAM, I said ‘I’m all in’. Public Safety is and always will be our number one priority, and this effort is a win-win not only for Precinct 6, but a win-win for all of Harris County.”

-Harris County Precinct 6 Constable Silvia R. Trevino

Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg on Wednesday will join the national “Safe Gun Storage” Virtual Summit held by Prosecutors Against Gun Violence. She is also announcing the release of a cautionary 3-minute video, filmed in English and subtitled in Spanish, urging gun owners to store the weapons safely.

“In Harris County, approximately 150 children are hurt or killed by guns every year,” Ogg said. “As a community, our goal is to ensure that our children stay safe by doing one simple thing: safely storing our firearms.”

Since 2014, Prosecutors Against Gun Violence, an organization Ogg is a member of, has been at the forefront of the effort to end gun violence in all its forms, from promoting safe storage in the home, to preventing suicides and accidental shootings involving children, to combating illegal firearms trafficking, to preventing and prosecuting mass shootings.

The video, produced by the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, features Houston Police Chief Troy Finner and several gun-safety advocates explaining how different kinds of locks and lockboxes, including cable locks that are available free of charge at the DA’s Office, can prevent tragedy.

The video explains that loose guns that wind up in the hands of children, pre-teens, teenagers and others can be deadly, either because of accidents or even suicides.