Early counts show 72% support for Houston's new police rules

Unofficial early results from Harris County show Proposition A moving toward a strong victory as of 5 a.m. on Wednesday. Approximately 72 percent of voters have so far chosen to support the measure, which changes how the Houston Police Department handles two specific areas of law enforcement.

The ballot initiative instructs HPD to treat Class A and Class B misdemeanor marijuana possession as its lowest priority. It also prohibits officers from requesting or executing search warrants that do not require them to announce their presence before entering a property.

These changes address a spike in arrests for minor drug offenses. Under Mayor John Whitmire, HPD has arrested roughly 440 people per year for misdemeanor marijuana possession. That figure is a steep increase from the annual average of about 35 arrests recorded between 2021 and 2023, according to data reviewed by Houston Public Media.

The proposal follows a deadly drug raid on Harding Street in Houston seven years ago. That incident left two people dead and led HPD to ban no-knock warrants. The measure was placed on the ballot after the advocacy group Ground Game Texas collected more than 40,000 signatures on a petition.

Mayor John Whitmire previously suggested the measure would have limited practical effects. He told reporters on Sept. 9 that misdemeanor marijuana possession was not a priority for HPD even before the ballot initiative was approved by the city council.

Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare offered a different perspective on why minor drug cases remain in the docket. He noted that state law limits prosecutors' ability to turn away such cases. Teare told Houston Public Media in September that his office does not believe it is currently using excessive resources on marijuana cases, but he stated that counts will not reach zero until the legislature updates the laws.