File photo
File photo
Houston law enforcement officers are issuing citations rather than arresting residents for committing certain types of Class A and Class B misdemeanors.
Mayor Sylvester Turner announced that he signed Executive Order No. 1-68, which allowed Houston to connect with Harris County's Cite and Release Program.
"Cite and Release is a more humane way to handle low-level offenders because the program allows them to face responsibility for their actions without the stain of an arrest or serving jail time," Mayor Sylvester Turner said in a press release. "It is the equivalent of being given a second chance on the spot, as long as the suspected offender meets the requirements for Cite and Release and complies with the rules."
The Cite and Release policy is expected to help reduce the jail population for non-violent offenders, reduce the amount of time police officers spend on jail processing procedures, and improve response times by getting officers back into service more quickly, the press release said.
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