Harris county Sheriff Adrian Garcia last week announced plans for a “proactive initiative” that he hopes will knock the county out of the top spot nationwide for alcohol-related fatality accidents.

During a press conference last week at the Harris County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) Substation just south of Tomball on SH 249, Garcia, along with several joining agencies, launched “Operation Share Responsibility,” a county-wide proactive awareness initiative that includes public education and enforcement.

“Alcohol-related accidents are claiming more lives in Harris County than anywhere else in the country,” Garcia said. “This is one first place spot I don’t want us claiming anymore and so I’m asking the public and all of our community partners to share the responsibility to put an end to this body count.”

According to the Houston-Galveston Area Council (HGAC), Harris County ranks number one in the country in alcohol-related fatalities, with 4.045 deaths per 100,000 people. The next closest is Dallas County, with 3.151 deaths per 100,000.

Pictured, Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia announced “Operation Shared Responsibility” during a press conference last week.

Joining the HCSO in Operation Shared Responsibility are Harris County Constable’s Office Pcts. 4 and 5, Texas Department of Public Safety, the Jersey Village Police Department, Texas Alcohol and Beverage Commission, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the Houston Police Department, the Beer Alliance of Texas and the Tomball Police Department.

Representatives from each agency were on hand at the press conference last week, including Tomball Police Chief Rob Hauck, who said the Tomball PD was “thrilled” to be involved in the program and called on all members of the community to join forces to do their part in the program.

The initiative began July 24 and focused initially on northwest Harris County, but Garcia said other communities “could find us very soon in different areas.” When asked why he chose to start the six-month program in northwest Harris County, Garcia said “Why not?”

“This is just where we’re starting,” he said.

While Garcia did not specifically state there would be an increase in patrol units or checkpoints, the operation, he said, would focus on education and awareness, as well as target unannounced areas within the county to catch drunk drivers.

Garcia, along with Beer Alliance of Texas President Rick Donley, said the continued implementation of safety programs such as Alert Cab, the designated driver program and offering free cab rides and other programs designed to assist retailers in curbing drunk driving would be the initial focus of the operation.

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