Liberal prosecutors, judges and magistrates around the country are facing fierce resistance as murders and violent crime continue to rise in Houston and other major cities.
Houston is on track for possibly 500 murders this year, and victim advocates have traced many back to violent criminals let out jail under the guise of bail reform and/or COVID.
"All of these great sweetheart deals the county is giving, you might not even make it into the jail," says Sgt. David Cuevas, president of the Harris County Deputies Organization. "The magistrates and the judges do not have any debts, and they will not stand to take a strong position and they're letting all of these criminals out."
"The unintended consequences are going to continue to get worse," he added. "We are hoping some legislation gets passed to prevent all these criminals from going back out onto the streets and committing more murders. It is devastating."
State Sen. Joan Huffman R-Houston, and others have introduced bills to reform the federal bail reform settlement blamed for the spike in crime.
"We have got to take a better broader look at what's going on," says Cuevas. "It's evident every day when people are getting shot. People are getting raped. And it seems like the judges and magistrates don't give a damn about anybody."