Greg Abbott will expand a task force aimed at repeat violent offenders into the Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin and San Antonio metro areas after hundreds of arrests in Houston, the governor announced Wednesday.
In a directive issued to the Texas Department of Public Safety, Abbott said the expansion comes as officers across Texas continue confronting what he called a "revolving door" of repeat offenders who are released and later arrested again for violent crimes.
In the governor's letter, Abbott wrote "most violent crime is committed by repeat offenders," and said targeting those offenders can reduce crime and improve public safety. He ordered DPS to immediately expand the Texas Repeat Offender Task Force, a joint operation first launched in the Houston area last October.
"The neighborhoods of Houston are safer with the arrest of the criminals most likely to commit another crime," Abbott wrote. "Similar success must be delivered to communities across the state."
The initiative brings together state, local and federal law enforcement agencies to target people accused of repeatedly committing violent crime.
According to the governor's office, the Houston-area task force has led to 728 arrests since October, including 455 people identified as high-threat offenders. State officials said the operation has also encountered 155 known gang members and seized drugs, weapons and stolen vehicles.
The task force's Houston launch came as part of Abbott's broader push on crime and bail restrictions. The governor also tied Wednesday's expansion to a package of bail reform laws approved by Texas lawmakers last year.
Those measures expanded prosecutors' ability to challenge certain bail decisions, restricted public funding for nonprofit bail organizations and increased requirements for judges handling criminal cases.
Under Abbott's directive, DPS will now coordinate with local and federal agencies in North Texas, Austin and San Antonio to identify what the state calls "priority offenders" and conduct intelligence-driven operations targeting repeat violent crime.
Emmanuel Rivas Valenzuela is KERA's breaking news reporter. Got a tip? Email Emmanuel at erivas@kera.org.
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