Program looking to add full-time deputies to emergency dispatch centers approved in Harris County
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- A new program passed unanimously on Tuesday afternoon by Harris County Commissioners could change how you file police reports with the sheriff's office.
The TeleDeputy Unit will be funded with $1.7 million from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), a federal program aimed at helping the economy recover after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Deputies with the Harris County Sheriff's Office will be able to volunteer for overtime shifts, where they will work at the Emergency Dispatch Center alongside 911 dispatchers.
They would respond to non-urgent cases over the phone and file police reports for incidents such as stolen bikes or vandalism.
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Officials said this would free up deputies out in the field to respond to more critical calls, such as domestic violence or homicides. They believe it is one way to address the widespread shortage of law enforcement officers in the United States and hope the program will improve response times and quality of service.
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"We're having trouble recruiting and retaining talent here in Harris County. So we're working on compensation analysis, staffing analysis, and ways to address that shortage. But in the meantime, the officers we have are the officers we have. So let's spend their time moving the needle to the greatest extent possible in public safety," Pct. 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones said.
Briones said she is the one who worked with Sheriff Ed Gonzalez to come up with this proposal, citing that approximately 60% of the calls into the Harris County Sheriff's Office are lower-priority cases.
The program will last for one year. At that point, the commissioners will circle back and evaluate whether or not they'd like to continue investing in the program.
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