Harris County to expand new unarmed police alternative program in city

Houston Chronicle
Michael Murney, Chron
May 22, 2023

A pilot program that sends public health staff instead of police to respond to certain 911 calls in parts of Harris County is expanding, according to county officials.

The Holistic Alternative Responder Team program, or HART, launched last year in the Harris County Sheriff's Office's 1st District, located in north Harris County. Under the program, "interdisciplinary unarmed, first responder teams, trained in behavioral health and on-scene medical assistance" are dispatched to respond to calls involving residents experiencing homelessness, mental health issues and other non-emergency calls.

"The HART program aims to improve community health and safety by quickly providing the appropriate response to residents experiencing homelessness, behavioral health issues, or non-emergency health or social welfare concerns, and to reduce unnecessary law enforcement or hospital-based interventions for non-emergent 911 calls," according to the Harris County Public Health Department.

HART teams responded to more than 2,265 non-emergency calls over the last year, Harris County Public Health community health and wellness division director Lupe Washington told Houston Public Media. "It really is allowing our residents to get the help that’s needed, but also allowing our law enforcement partners to dedicate more time to the more violent calls that are going on in the community," Washington told HPM's Lucio Vasquez.

Per HPM's Vasquez, officials are now expanding the program to include Harris County Sheriff's Office District 4, which covers parts of northwest and west Harris County. The $2.6 million expansion will add more than 200 miles to the program's coverage area, Washington told HPM. Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones said the HART program should be operating in the Sheriff's Office's 4th District by later this year, per HPM's Vasquez.