Police reform in Houston has been making a lot of headway in recent years, and the Houston Police Department made an admirable decision when they joined Harris County in implementing the “cite-and-release” policy. It made it possible for HPD officers to give suspects tickets with court dates, rather than arresting people on the spot when they are accused of misdemeanors. This is a much more efficient use of their time, since they need to be able to patrol the streets rather than pausing their duties every time a minor offense is cited.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said the following of accused offenders: “The program gives them an opportunity to make changes in their lives and face responsibility for their actions without having the stain of an arrest, or serving jail time, on their record,” 

In order to make an exceptional misdemeanor arrest, HPD officers first must obtain documented supervisor approval. Some criminal justice advocates are concerned the policy isn’t comprehensive enough, isn’t legally binding, and leaves too much wiggle room for officer discretion. Nevertheless, it’s progress toward reducing the 3,000 such misdemeanor arrests HPD made in 2019, and another step toward ending discriminatory policing in Houston.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas reported that Black Houstonians make up just 23% of the population, but account for 36% of police stops, 49% of citation-eligible arrests and 63% of officer-involved shootings. Hopefully, Houston’s new cite-and-release ordinance will make citations… not arrests and jail time… the default for misdemeanor offenses.

Houstonians have made several demands for the city to take concrete actions to end minority over-incarceration. Crime statistics in upcoming years will tell whether cite-and-release makes any difference – and whether police implement it fairly. At this point, it is the best option for providing a more stable relationship between police and the population at large.