Another Hit Piece Texted to Residents, This Time in the Sheriff Runoff
May 10, 2024 | Media Inquiries: press@mctxgop.org
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, TX - The Montgomery County Republican Party would like to remind voters to do your due diligence in our local elections. Yesterday, another slanderous text message was sent to voters, this time claiming that crime has risen and cases are going unsolved in Montgomery County. The purpose of the text is to convince voters to “fire” Sheriff Rand Henderson on May 28th. The data from this text was lifted from this article from Montgomery County, MARYLAND! The text assumes that voters will not research the data to determine that it isn't even from our county.
This is irresponsible and detrimental to our county. Montgomery County, TEXAS, has actually had a DECREASE in crime. This is commendable in light of our open border and the COVID disruptions that impacted crime across the state in recent years.
This is another example of hit pieces and false claims that are being made in our county by those who seek to fundamentally change Montgomery County. Voters must do their research and ask themselves WHY one campaign is running hit pieces with false data and the other is not.
Big-Money, Pro-Gambling Voter Guides Seek to Fundamentally Change Montgomery County
Has there been an increase in crime under Sheriff Henderson?
Captain Wesley Doolittle has repeatedly claimed that there has been a substantial increase in crime in Montgomery County, even up to a 50% increase. According to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, this is because Captain Doolittle is comparing sets of data that were compiled using two different reporting systems.
The way crime data is reported by the Sheriff’s Office recently changed to a more comprehensive system of reporting under the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). With the passage of HB 4879, as of September 1, 2023, participation in the DPS UCR/NIBRS program by law enforcement agencies is mandatory.
Instead of consolidating all offenses committed during a crime under the most serious offense that was committed, which is how this was handled in the past, DPS UCR/NIBRS documents every offense committed as a separate crime up to 10 offenses per incident; therefore, the data being reported by Captain Doolittle is not “apples to apples” data.
Using the new DPS UCR/NIBRS system to compare offenses reported in Montgomery County, there was a 6.5% increase in crime following the COVID lockdown from 2021 to 2022. For the 2022 to 2023 period, there was actually a 1.9% decrease in crime.
Data pulled up in the new system prior to these years is skewed due to the new system of reporting and is like comparing “apples to oranges” as the formula for calculations is different (see explanation above).
This data is public and may be accessed through the Crime in Texas Online Portal. The online portal was developed to provide a platform for the public to access crime data online without the need to make a formal request to the UCR program office, providing greater transparency.
To access the data, visit the Texas DPS Crime in Texas Online Portal and follow the instructions below. If you have problems accessing the link, please copy/paste the url https://txucr.nibrs.com into a new browser window.
Click “Reports” in the left side-bar.
Click “Group A Offense Report” on the right side of the page. This brings up the “Group A Offense Report” page.
Select dates at the top of the page.
In the “Agency” field, type “Montgomery County SO” then click “Generate Report.”
This system allows the user to generate reports for a given year and provides the percent change in crime from the previous year. Data pulled up in the system prior to 2021 is skewed due to the new system of reporting and the report generated for 2021 shows incorrect percent changes in crime as a result. Reports for prior years should be accessed via a Public Information Request for accuracy.
Beware of Slanderous Media & Texts
Many media outlets in Montgomery County use a biased, one-sided approach to report what they call “news,” but would more accurately be termed commentary.
We urge you to use caution when visiting websites that claim to report the news, but consistently publish articles that support one candidate over another without presenting the views of both sides. Endorsements of candidates will always be labeled as “commentary” or “endorsement” if the site is credible.
Many websites and news outlets now are publishing hit pieces on candidates they disagree with, and “news” articles promoting candidates who support their political bias. Some print news releases from candidates verbatim, or only report the perspective of big developers and elected officials.
The lack of research and follow-up provided by these news outlets is a good reminder of why we all need to move away from legacy media. This level of reporting mirrors the national press’s continual lying to the people, all while the conservative grassroots is fighting to save our country.
Always look for the “paid for by” disclaimer on every election ad, text, or mailer and visit transparencyusa.org to see who is really behind the curtain, trying to sway the voters. Your research is crucially important in protecting Montgomery County from individuals and groups who want to keep Conservative Republicans from holding office. If the disclaimer isn’t there, ask yourself, why not?
Big-Money, Pro-Gambling Voter Guides Seek to Fundamentally Change Montgomery County