Commissioner Lesley Briones marked the start of Domestic Violence Awareness Month on Thursday by announcing the new Family Violence Co-Response Team. The innovative partnership with the Harris County Sheriff's Office (HCSO) and the Harris County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council (HCDVCC) will bring offenders to justice and connect survivors with the safety and support they need.

The team will focus on outstanding warrants for family violence, sexual assault, and other violent crimes, and provide survivors in those cases with safety planning, shelter and other services. The pilot program begins operations this month in Precinct 4. 

Harris County law enforcement receives more than 40,000 domestic violence-related calls each year and leads the state in family violence homicides Family violence calls make up 30% of homicides in the County and account for the largest share of HCSO calls for service in unincorporated Precinct 4. 

"I have seen the far-reaching impact of domestic violence firsthand, from the trauma children carried into the classroom during my time as a teacher to the families I supported through legal aid work in law school. Those experiences taught me that breaking the cycle takes a system-wide effort to hold offenders accountable, protect survivors, help families rebuild, and help children heal. Through our investment in the Family Violence Co-Response Team, we are doubling down on our efforts to create a safer Harris County,” said Commissioner Lesley Briones. 

The Family Violence Co-Response Team brings together three existing teams together for the first time.

The Violent Persons Warrants Task Force (VIPER) will lead the coordinated, targeted effort to clear outstanding family violence warrants tied to Precinct 4 residents. For every warrant served, the Sheriff’s Mobile Advocacy Response Team (SMART) will contact the survivor and family in that case to provide immediate safety planning, shelter, and ongoing advocacy. Cases identified as high-risk will be referred to HCDVCC’s Domestic Violence High-Risk Team, which uses a validated risk assessment to evaluate the county’s most dangerous cases and coordinates law enforcement, prosecutors, and survivor services to monitor them.

“Today's announcement of our Family Violence Co-response Team in Precinct 4, with Commissioner Briones, is a huge step towards equipping victims and survivors with the long-term resources they need to not just survive in that moment, but to truly escape their abusers and rebuild healthy lives,” said Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, Harris County Sheriff's Office.

"Thank you, Commissioner Briones and Sheriff Gonzalez, for your tireless efforts to create and invest in programs that respond to complex family dynamics and traumatic situations with teams who understand that we work better together than we do alone. We’re coming together in a way that is not one-size fits all kind of approach; we are working together in a way that enhances a person’s safety," said Alicia Nuzzie, Director of Harris County Domestic Violence High-Risk Team, Harris County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council.

"I want to thank Commissioners Court for providing the funds to allow us to start this project with the hope that, this one day is scalable through the entire county. If it works, it tells us something that we, who are involved in these systems, know: it doesn’t just stay with me in criminal justice and doesn’t stay with our domestic violence providers. It requires all of us to come together, so that we stop the cycle of violence, " said Mary McFaden, Domestic Violence Bureau Chief, Harris County District Attorney’s Office.

The program is funded at $2.75 million annually, plus a one-time investment of $1.4 million, for a total of $4.15 million this year.

The Family Violence Co-Response Team builds on Harris County's continued investment in domestic violence prevention and holistic public safety in the County’s Fiscal Year 2027 budget, including:

• A record $4.8 million investment for the Domestic Violence Assistance Fund, including $3.4 million in general funds and $1.4 million allocated to HSCO, helping survivors meet urgent needs like housing, transportation, childcare, and utilities. 
• $1.7 million for the Harris County District Attorney's Domestic Violence Bureau, to increase access to protective orders and victim support. 
• $2.5 million to expand the Holistic Assistance Response Team (HART) and Relentless Interrupters Serving Everyone (RISE) programs, which provide community-based solutions to reducing gun violence and alternative responses to non-violent 911 calls.