HARRIS COUNTY, Texas - Harris County Commissioners approved $1.7 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funding to enhance the Harris County Sheriff's Office TeleDeputy Unit.
According to a release, the decision, which was made on Tuesday, was unanimous.
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The TeleDeputy program has officers who are working overtime handle low-priority, non-urgent 911 calls remotely, rather than sending out the officer to write a report. Currently, these low-priority calls make up nearly 60% of HCSO calls, leading to slower response times across the board. Examples of these Priority 3 & 4 calls include: reporting a crime tip or reporting an abandoned or stalled vehicle.
Officials said with the additional support from the TeleDeputy Unit, patrol deputies will be able to more rapidly respond to 911 calls involving urgent, critical matters, including calls related to violent crime and domestic violence.
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The Harris County Sheriff's Office said they're aiming to reduce average response times for Priority 1 calls by nearly 30%, from 14 minutes to 10 minutes, and reduce the response times for family violence calls across all HCSO districts by 10 minutes because of the TeleDeputy support.
"In life-threatening emergencies, every second counts. I commend the Harris County Sheriff's Office for identifying this solution to better leverage its officers’ time so that we can decrease 911 response times and, ultimately, save lives. We will keep investing in strategies to further improve public safety in Harris County," said Commissioner Lesley Briones.
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"Investing in the Harris County Sheriff's Office TeleDeputy Program is a commitment to our community's safety. By harnessing the power of technology, we can reduce emergency call response times and prioritize urgent situations," said Sheriff Ed Gonzalez. "This innovative program empowers community members to teleconference with deputies for certain offenses, providing an additional avenue to report incidents while allowing our dedicated law enforcement professionals to focus on high-priority emergencies."