HOUSTON, Texas — The Houston Police Department’s policing standards and procedures surrounding officer-involved shootings came under scrutiny on Thursday during a City of Houston Public Safety meeting.
More than 200 people signed up to speak. Many of them calling to defund the police.
Since George Floyd’s death, police department’s across the country have come under fire for their practices.
The Houston Police Department is no different.
Councilmember Mike Knox, a former HPD officer, wants people to be cautious as they reimagine the police department.
“I want us to realize that police officers are not the bad guys here,” Knox said. “There are bad policemen in every organization but the majority of them are really good.”
HPD said they’ve made changes to their use of force orders, partly because of Mayor Sylvester Turner’s executive order following Floyd’s death banning chokeholds.
During a review of its officer-involved shooting procedures, HPD says it’s Special Investigations Unit has investigated investigating 15 HPD officer-involved shootings this year.
Those shootings have resulted in six deaths.
Two of those shootings are still being investigated and 13 that are being reviewed by the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.
The unit investigated a total of 21 HPD officer-involved shootings in 2019, 18 in 2018, and 15 in 2017.
The civil rights division of the DA’s office responds to every officer-involved shooting.
C.O. Bradford with the DA’s office said the agency with jurisdiction is in charge of the scene and investigates.
He said evidence is then passed along to a grand jury.
Bradford said in most recent cases the grand jury has declined to press charges.
He said that decision results in the community getting upset.
“What we are experiencing now is a process that the public do not understand and they don’t trust what’s being presented to them,” Bradford said.
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