Houston Launches Peacekeeper Safety And Community Initiative

HOUSTON, TX — Houston Crimes Stoppers, local law enforcement agencies and the Houston Health Department unveiled a safety initiative to help build relationships between law enforcement and the community.

The program known as the Houston-Harris County Peacekeepers Movement, was announced during a press conference Monday at Crime Stoppers of Houston.

“Houston is a great example of collaboration,” said Michelle Sacks, director of Crime Stoppers Safe School Institute. “By partnering with those who are here today, our city is a much stronger and safer place to live.”

The Houston-Harris County Peacekeepers Movement was created as a result of the passage of Texas Senate Bill 30, known as the Community Safety Education Act.

The bill, which became a law on Sept. 1, 2018, was co-authored by Texas Sens. John Whitmire and Royce West, and requires training by law enforcement officials, high school students, and people taking driver education courses in how to interact during a traffic stop.

The legislature also required the Texas Education Agency to adopt the program to be taught to students in 9-12th grade in 2018 and beyond.

HPD, @CrimeStopHou & partners discuss efforts to improve interactions between police & civilians. #relationalpolici… https://t.co/q4oT2rIKxr
— Houston Police (@houstonpolice) December 17, 2018

“...we are excited about the positive impact this legislation and training can have on police-community relations,” said HPD Capt. Salam Zia, commander of HPD’s south central division.

Zia said HPD has implemented a number of mandatory programs to help facilitate better interaction in some of Houston’s more diverse communities to foster a stronger relationship with residents.

Zia added that while most encounters between police and civilians end peacefully and without serious incident, there is always the chance that a traffic stop could turn deadly.

“The journey that brought us here is long, but it is good,” said Dr. Everette Penn, Director, Founder TAPS Academy. “We now have a partnership...throughout the state of Texas to make for a safe traffic stop to be the norm.”

The training discourages drivers from looking for documents and a drivers license as the officer approaches the vehicle, which has been taught to divers in Texas for many years.

Now, the training encourages drivers to wait with their hands out the drivers side window, or on the steering wheel, and to wait to retrieve the documents until you have spoken with the officer.

The program is taught jointly by civilian and law enforcement professionals to integrate the training so that drivers can better understand the caution of police, and police can better communicate a reason for a traffic stop.

“I am glad that we are doing this training,” Penn said.

Officials conducted the training after the press conference., and plan to officer more training in 2019.

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