Houston Northwest Chamber of Commerce Hosts Public Safety Meeting

SPRING, TX -- Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez will be speaking to residents of in northwest Harris County during the Houston Northwest Chamber of Commerce monthly Public Safety Committee meeting.

The event will be held on Thursday, Feb. 23, at 8:15 a.m. at the Champions Emergency Services District, located at 12730 Champions Forest Drive in Houston.

Gonzalez, a lifelong Houstonian, was elected on Nov. 8., becoming the 30th Sheriff of Harris County, Texas.

Gonzalez earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Houston Downtown and went on to serve 18 years in the Houston Police Department.

Gonzalez started out as a civilian employee and became a police officer, rising through the ranks to Sergeant. He served on the elite hostage negotiation team and was assigned to the Homicide Division as an investigator.

Gonzalez retired from the department in 2009, and served three terms on the Houston City Council representing District H.

He was elected by his peers in 2010 to serve as Vice Mayor Pro-Tem and was appointed Mayor Pro-Tem in 2012 by Mayor Annise Parker.

Gonzalez chaired the council’s Public Safety & Homeland Security Committee, and relied on the core of his law enforcement background and experience to improve public safety and neighborhood protection – breaking new ground with initiatives to protect vulnerable seniors from elder abuse, expand the fight against human trafficking, reduce the public safety risks of stray animals, protect cyclists and pedestrians on city streets and protect online buyers and sellers from predators.

The Harris County Sheriff’s Office is the largest Sheriff Office in the State of Texas, and the third largest nationwide. Sheriff Gonzalez leads upwards of 5,000 employees to protect the County’s 4.5 million residents within the 1,700 square miles of Harris County.

Photo courtesy of Houston Northwest Chamber of Commerce