Message from Sheriff Ed Gonzalez – It’s Not Your Fault, and Help Is Here
Visit the Harris County Sheriff’s Office Homepage
Visit the Harris County Sheriff’s Office Homepage
Message from Sheriff Ed Gonzalez
As part of our commitment during Domestic Violence Awareness Month, I promised that we would go after the people hurting their own families. Our deputies have been delivering on that promise. Working with our state and federal partners, they went door to door across Harris County in a multi-agency domestic violence warrant roundup, targeting people wanted for some of the most serious offenses. In all, the roundup cleared 154 warrants and led to 117 arrests, including 79 for domestic violence.
Our Special Victims Unit, CAID, and Major Offenders Section, with help from our District CRU units, focused on people showing signs that the pattern of violence was getting worse. One man is accused of choking a pregnant woman until she nearly lost consciousness, then pushing her into a table and threatening to kill her with a large knife. Another was wanted after a woman was slammed against a patio table and beaten with an iPad. His victims were so afraid that they fled the state. A third is accused of using a chair to hurt the people in his home. The suspects in these three separate cases are now in custody.
The warning signs are often there long before violence turns deadly. In intimate partner violence cases, 80% involve at least one significant encounter with law enforcement, and half involve five or more. Each one of those moments is a chance to break the cycle, and we intend to use it.
Every survivor in these cases has been connected with one of our victim advocates. An arrest is only part of the job, and helping survivors heal is the rest of it. The work doesn’t stop there. We’re still looking for domestic violence offenders. If that’s you, you already know it. Turn yourself in.
We’re also changing how we respond. Thanks to funding from Commissioner Lesley Briones, we’re setting up a new SMART unit that will send a specially trained deputy and a victim advocate out together. When the call involves a partner or an ex, the team will complete a lethality assessment, a set of questions that tells us if someone is at real risk of being killed.
We also want every survivor to know where to go for help. Earlier this month, I joined AVDA (Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse), CEO Maisha Coulter, and Clear Channel Outdoor at City Hall as new billboards went up across our area. Some people can’t search for help because the person hurting them checks their phone, but they can remember a number they saw on a billboard. AVDA has been helping survivors here for 46 years, from finding a lawyer for a protective order to simply having someone to talk to.
Now I want to speak to anyone who is being hurt at home. It’s not your fault. You don’t need to have it all figured out to pick up the phone. And if you’re worried about someone you know, a friend, a coworker, your sister, check on them. Help them make that first call.
If you are in immediate danger, call 911. You can reach AVDA at 713-224-9911, or the National Domestic Violence Hotline, 24 hours a day, at 1-800-799-7233. You can also text START to 88788.
Every warrant we serve, and every case we bring closer to resolution, makes our community safer. We can’t do this alone, and I’m grateful to have you with us.
Building a Safer Harris County
Harris County is one of the fastest-growing places in the country, and your Sheriff’s Office has to keep up. Thanks to the bonds you approved at the ballot box, along with county capital improvement funding, we’re building nine projects that will help us reach you faster and train our deputies better.
Some of these you’ll see in your own neighborhood. A new District 1 patrol station is going up on Butte Creek Road, and the District 5 station is moving to FM 1960 West, between 290 and 249. We chose both sites using call volume and response-time data, so deputies are closer to where you need them. Both will have room for community meetings, too.
Others happen behind the scenes. We’re building Harris County’s first swift water rescue training facility, because this county knows flooding. A new driving course, an active attack training center, and a bigger academy are on the way. And on Navigation, our new Public Safety Center will bring investigators, crime labs, and evidence storage together under one roof for the first time.
You trusted us with this investment, and we take that seriously. Click here to view all nine projects.
HCSO In the News
Harris County unveils new strategy to combat domestic violence
Harris County is taking a new approach to domestic violence, putting deputies and victim advocates on the same team. It’s called SMART — the Sheriff’s Mobile Advocacy Response Team. The new unit is designed to help hold violent offenders accountable while connecting victims with support and resources to help them stay safe.
Recognize him? HCSO looking to ID suspect in Aldine-area aggravated robbery
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office is asking the public for help identifying a man they say was involved in an aggravated robbery at an Aldine-area convenience store last month. The robbery happened on Sept. 20 around 10:49 p.m. at the Aldine Food Mart on Aldine Mail Route Road near the Eastex Freeway.
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Teammates of the Week
Sheriff Ed Gonzalez and the HCSO highlight exceptional teammates who serve others above and beyond their duties. We regularly receive positive emails, thank-you notes, and phone calls from the community.
A Harris County resident recently shared:
💬”Deputy Erica Henriquez responded to a report of metal theft/property theft in North Harris County. Deputy Henriquez was extremely professional and thorough during the investigation. She provided a lot of clarity into the investigative process. Henriquez was thorough and considerate throughout the investigation. Great to encounter such professionalism.”
Deputy Henriquez began her law enforcement career in 2015 as a detention officer at the 1200 Baker Street jail. Today, she serves as a patrol deputy in District 1 and has served Harris County residents for more than a decade.
👏 Thank you, Deputy Henriquez, for your professionalism, thoroughness, and dedication to our community!
A Harris County resident recently shared:
💬 “Inmate Care Concern has fully made the ability for inmates to communicate with their loved ones about urgent concerns about the well-being of their stay, and Detention Officer Hudson has taken the initiative to prioritize the safety and security measures for what the portal has been established to be used for. I want to commend the time and effort she put in by personally calling and confirming that I was being heard and that the issues were being resolved. Thank you so much for the understanding and support!”
Detention Officer Hudson has proudly served HCSO for 19 years, beginning her career in 2007. She is assigned to the Detention Support Services Bureau, Administrative Services, where she works with the Inmate Care Concerns team.
👏 Thank you, Detention Officer Hudson, for your dedication to the people we serve!
The Person Behind the Badge: National Night Out 2026
On Tuesday, October 6, you invited us to your block parties, cookouts, and festivals for National Night Out. Thank you for having us. Click here to view the photo album.
This is one of my favorite nights of the year. Most of the time, when someone calls the Sheriff’s Office, it’s because something has gone wrong. On National Night Out, you call because you want us there.
Thank you to the civic club leaders, captains, and volunteers who made these events happen, and to our partners at the Houston Police Department and everyone who hosted across the county.
The safest neighborhoods aren’t always the ones with the most patrol cars. They’re the ones where neighbors know each other and look out for each other. I hope Tuesday gave you a chance to meet the person behind the badge. Our deputies are parents, coaches, and church members. They’re your neighbors.
You told us what’s on your mind, and we’re taking it back with us, the good and the hard. Please keep talking to us, so this is more than one night a year.
Thank you for being good neighbors.
Teammate Spotlight: Detention Officer Bobo Leads by Example
Teammate Spotlight: Sheriff Ed Gonzalez and HCSO recognize Detention Officer Arrick Bobo, a Floor Training Officer in our jail, who was commended by his lieutenant for stepping up to help his fellow officers without being asked. His supervisors say it’s simply how he works every day.
👏 Thank you, Officer Bobo, for leading by example.
HCSO Connects with Houston’s Vietnamese-Speaking Community
Sheriff Ed Gonzalez recently appeared on VIETV RADIO Network to discuss the Harris County Sheriff’s Office’s continued commitment to serving the Vietnamese community.
As part of these efforts, Sheriff Gonzalez appointed Kim Dao as a liaison to help strengthen communication, build relationships, and connect residents and business owners with the Sheriff’s Office.
HCSO is committed to working across jurisdictional boundaries to ensure all communities have access to resources, information, and support.
HCSO Hosts Southeast Texas Forensic Association Symposium
🔬 Collaboration strengthens the science behind the badge.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office was proud to host the 3rd Annual Southeast Texas Forensic Association Symposium, bringing forensic professionals from across the region together to share knowledge, discuss challenges, and learn from one another.
Together, we’re working to provide the best possible service to the communities we serve.
