HOUSTON - Reforms recommended by a community task force that aim to improve policing in Houston and boost trust between residents and officers are being implemented in the nation's fourth largest city, officials announced Thursday.
Among the new initiatives are a timeline for the release of body-camera video and changes to the city's Independent Police Oversight Board. The overhaul will make it easier for members of the public to register complaints against officers, and $25 million will be invested in programs that help officers respond to mental health crisis calls.
"Police reform is society's reform ... Change does come and change will continue to come," said Larry Payne, chairman of the task force.
Mayor Sylvester Turner created the task force of residents, community advocates, and faith and business leaders last summer during protests calling for racial justice in the wake of George Floyd's death. Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who is white, was convicted last week of murder and manslaughter for killing Floyd, a Black man who grew up in Houston.