1 week from early voting, crime and public safety are key issues as Election Day approaches

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- A sticking point in the county's budget is funding law enforcement as democrats and republicans stake their positions on public safety heading into a hotly contested race for Harris County judge.

In an interview this past summer, the Republican nominee for Harris County Judge, Alexandra del Moral Mealer, said crime was a big reason she threw her hat into the race.

"I saw my neighborhood started to change," Mealer told ABC13. "Didn't really understand what that change was, chief of it being petty crime turning to violent crime."

Her opponent, incumbent county Judge Lina Hidalgo, told ABC13 at the time the numbers were looking better and that Harris County is not alone in battling crime.

"That is a key priority," Hidalgo said. "With the pandemic, not just us but cities all around the country saw an increase in crime. And even before that, we'd been working as a commissioner's court to invest historic amounts of funding toward public safety."

13 Investigates looked at the latest Harris County Sheriff's Office crime, and the data reveals it does not seem to matter whether it's a republican or democrat running the county.

Over ten years' worth of data was analyzed, revealing that violent crime increased between 2011 and 2018, while property crime decreased while republicans were in office.

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"I don't think Houston or Texas is different from most parts of the country," Alex Bunin, the chief public defender in Harris County, said. "During the pandemic, there were some areas of crime that did increase. Murder increased. Family violence increased."

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At issue now is how to fight crime and fund public safety.

Mealer says the money is in the wrong place.

"Anyone can spend money,' Mealer said. "It's not a particularly difficult thing. It's how you spend that money. And the big absence is how many constables have you added? It's a big answer. It's zero."

Hidalgo said the county is spending record amounts of money on an approach that does not only include additional law enforcement and in our interview late this summer cited a seven percent decrease in violent crime year to year.

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"Our latest budget has $1.5 billion dollars toward crime," she said in late August. "And for those who say they might do more, that is two-thirds of the county budget going towards justice and going towards safety. We can't do a greater percentage. "

It is a complex issue with no easy solution, but as we get closer to going to the polls, there is no doubt, based on recent surveys and polling, that crime and public safety will be a factor in how Harris County voters cast their ballots. A recent Hobby School survey found that among white, Hispanic, and black voters, among women and men, Crime and Public Safety is across the board a consistent a top three issue in 2022.

Bunin said he has also seen how the courts, the judges, the prosecutors, and the politicians have played a role in today's climate a week out from early voting.

"I think it's very political and it's basically split among the parties," Bunin said. "The Republicans have taken on the mantle of we're standing against crime and they've said things like we need more police officers, constables, sheriff's deputies on the streets. I think that's a little misleading in that we have many open positions in law enforcement that need to be filled."

ABC13 checked with the Harris County Sheriff's Office and learned as of Monday, Oct. 17, there are 235 openings for deputies. But that doesn't mean crime is not worse by some metrics. Part of the issue may be the courts themselves.

Looking at the county's data, we found that while the criminal court backlog is getting better post-Hurricane Harvey and post-pandemic, it's still part of a greater problem with criminal justice. And voters recognize it.

For updates on this story, follow Tom Abrahams on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.