Message from Sheriff Ed Gonzalez:
Last December, we launched a pilot program aiming to temporarily store guns that are voluntarily surrendered by people under a family court judge’s protective order. The program, named
Safe Surrender
, accounted for 25 guns related to 10 protective orders – a success in my eyes. All protective orders were issued by a single family court, the 280th. This week, I went before Commissioners Court to discuss expanding this program beyond the 280th. I’m proud to announce that Harris County Commissioners voted unanimously to expand Safe Surrender to all 22 felony courts. This decision will yield significant progress in protecting domestic violence victims. You can read more about the program and Commissioners Court’s decision below.
Every year our Sheriff’s Office family is reminded of unfortunate and tragic anniversaries of our fallen brothers and sisters. On Oct. 29, 2014, Harris County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Jesse “Trey” Valdez, III was killed in a head-on crash while en route to a welfare check. He is the 40th member of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office to die in the line of duty. This past Tuesday -- 5 years after his death – Deputy Valdez’s family and friends gathered in Highlands where he patrolled so that we could remember his sacrifice. Join me in praying for his family and friends.
Congratulations to all of the runners, volunteers and event coordinators in another successful Sweat IV Vets 5K! I’m proud of the great work all of you do, this year amassing $15,000 for disabled and wounded veterans. See the sights from the event below, and be sure to register for next year’s Sweat IV Vets!
To my Sheriff’s Office family – thank you for your continued hard work and dedication to upholding our five core values. God bless you, and God bless the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
