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Record of Proceedings

Houston Safety Committee Meeting - May 4, 2026: Domestic Violence and Human Trafficking

Committees and Commissions — Monday, May 4, 2026
BodyHouston, Texas
SessionCommittees and Commissions
DateMonday, May 4, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 57:40

Transcript — Verbatim
0:24

Safety committee, we are going to start this meeting today.

0:27

Um, we are joined today um by Councilmember Carter and online by Councilmember Evan Shabazz.

0:34

We are also joined by staff from Vice Chair Jackson's office, Councilmember Cayman's office, Thomas's office, Huffman's office, Ramirez's office, and virtually um by Mayor Pro Tem Castax Tatum's office and Councilman Salinas' office.

0:48

I think I got everybody.

0:49

All right, we have two presentations today.

0:51

Our first presentations will presentation will be Avda.

0:54

Thank you so much for being here today, and we will get the presentation out of Julie.

1:01

She's waiting.

1:02

And HPD is here as well.

1:07

And for everyone following along, we sent an updated presentation this morning, Alan.

1:12

Thank you for sending that.

1:13

So make sure you follow along on the updated one.

1:16

Thank you.

1:20

Good morning.

1:21

My name is Mycia Coulter.

1:22

I'm the CEO of AVDA, Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse, and I'm joined by retired Lieutenant Julie Pleasant, who is currently the police administrator for Victim Services Division.

1:33

Today we're going to be discussing domestic violence as a both a public safety and public health issue.

1:40

Domestic violence is a pattern of power and control.

1:43

And in Texas, nearly 250,000 families violence offenses were charged last year, with tens of thousands of them in Houston.

1:55

52% of victims sought help before being killed.

2:09

A gun increases homicide risk, the presence of a gun increases homicide risk by 500%.

2:17

When there's been strangulation involved in the domestic violence, it is likely that that victim will come succumb to domestic violence homicide.

2:26

750% of the time.

2:29

Leaving is the most dangerous time for an abuse victim.

2:35

Victims stay because of fear, financial dependence, children, trauma bonding, and threats.

2:44

What may look like non-cooperation on the part of the victim is actually sometimes an act of survival.

2:53

If you will, would you move to slide three?

3:07

So in 2023, 48,000 147 domestic violence offenses were charged here in Houston.

3:18

In 2024, 49,947 were charged.

3:23

In 2025, 46,396 homicide.

3:29

I mean, I'm sorry, domestic violence offenses were charged.

3:33

These are what we know occurred.

3:35

Because domestic violence happens again behind closed doors in secrecy.

3:40

The fact that these numbers are as high as they are, we still don't know who and all who all is experiencing domestic violence in our city.

4:04

So I'm sure you've heard it said before.

4:20

That's a nationwide statistic.

4:34

And because of those reasons, we have to have cooperation and collaboration with our partners so that we can get these victims out of their current situations.

4:46

And when I say that, I mean an immediate response on scene to intervene in an emergency situation to get those immediate needs to have them to get assistance and to have their needs met right where they are.

5:08

So, what we see in patrol is a lot of a revolving door.

5:13

So collaboration is key.

5:16

So we're gonna talk about the system gaps and where we see deficits in our system right now.

5:22

Um, if you will move to uh the slides that begin with systems gaps, thank you.

5:32

Keep going.

5:36

There you go.

5:37

Um, there are major gaps.

5:39

Most of them occur because there are such high call volume.

5:43

59% of those who do call and need shelter are being denied shelter um because of the lack of availability of space in our area.

5:53

Um there is also a lack of follow-up and limited coordination across the system.

5:59

So, although these survivors encounter the system and resources that are available, because there's a lack of connectivity and collaboration on the part of those who are here to help in terms of just communication, being able to respond timely when someone is reaching out in crisis, then it makes it a harder for us to sustain help with these individuals because we're basically um staggered and protracted and and and scattered in terms of how we responds.

6:31

What we know is that there is a model that can work and has been working for us in terms of how we respond.

6:40

And as Lieutenant Pleasant um already alluded to, we need to address the needs of the victims when they are in crisis.

6:48

So if you roll to the model that we currently use that has been effective in helping to provide um responses that keep survivors um addressing their needs right when they're in crisis.

7:03

So look at look um slide, go to slide um that says the abdom model, please.

7:11

Thank you.

7:12

So what we're looking at is survivor makes a call to law enforcement in crisis.

7:20

We immediately get a referral from our law enforcement partners because they are responding on the scene and they have knowledge about the resources that are available to these um uh crisis callers.

7:32

We have we have the opportunity at that point when they are ripe and ready for services to intervene.

7:40

So we address the crisis, and that means that we're addressing just not just their immediate um trauma, their immediate um medical needs, but we're also looking at basic needs.

7:50

Can they leave this home?

7:52

Can they leave in a way that's safe?

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Safety█████████████████████████████████████████████63%
Youth Programs███████████████████27%
Community Engagement████6%
Public Health█2%
Workforce Development█2%
Summary of Proceedings

Houston Safety Committee Meeting - May 4, 2026: Domestic Violence and Human Trafficking

The Houston Safety Committee convened on May 4, 2026, with Councilmember Carter and Councilmember Evan Shabazz (virtual) among attendees. Staff from multiple council offices were present. The meeting featured two presentations: one on domestic violence by AVDA (Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse) and one on human trafficking by Project to Protect Our Children. No public speakers appeared. The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 9, 2026, at 10:00 a.m.

Discussion Items

Presentation on Domestic Violence by AVDA

  • Mycia Coulter (CEO of AVDA) and retired Lieutenant Julie Pleasant (HPD Victim Services Division) presented domestic violence as both a public safety and public health issue. Key statistics: In Texas, nearly 250,000 family violence offenses were charged in the most recent year, with tens of thousands in Houston. Houston-specific data: 48,147 offenses in 2023; 49,947 in 2024; 46,396 in 2025. They noted that 52% of victims sought help before being killed, the presence of a gun increases homicide risk by 500%, and prior strangulation increases homicide risk by 750%.
  • The presenters described system gaps, including a 59% denial rate for shelter due to lack of space, and a lack of follow-up and coordination. They highlighted AVDA's co-location with HPD since 2008, providing legal advocacy, counseling, and civil protective orders. A case example "Miriam" illustrated a survivor who initially declined services but later obtained a 20-year protective order; the abuser violated it within nine days.
  • 2024 impact: AVDA supported 5,615 adults and children through legal advocacy, filed 2,062 lawsuits, and obtained $11 million in awards (child support and property divisions). 734 abusers participated in the Batterer Intervention and Prevention (BIP) program.
  • Councilmember Carter commented on domestic violence fatalities: state fatalities decreased from 176 (2023) to 161 (2024), but Houston increased from 38 to 47. He noted that 70% of all calls to law enforcement in Harris County are domestic/family violence related and emphasized awareness and education.

Presentation on Human Trafficking by Project to Protect Our Children

  • Denise Mears, Executive Director and founder, presented on child trafficking prevention. She explained the AMP model (Action + Means + Purpose) and defined child sex trafficking as a commercial sex act involving a minor for anything of value, noting that Texas does not require proof of force, fraud, or coercion for minors or individuals with disabilities.
  • Data challenges: No unified database exists. In 2024, the National Human Trafficking Hotline received 1,360 cases involving over 2,400 victims in Texas. HPD 2025 data showed 86 victims recovered (over half juveniles). In early 2026, a single initiative rescued 29 victims, including 11 juveniles. The FBI Houston task force identified, located, and rescued over 200 child victims and arrested 286 predators. The Texas Attorney General's office now requires mandatory reporting of trafficking investigations as of September 1, 2025.
  • A University of Texas Austin study (almost 10 years old) estimated 79,000 children were being commercially sex trafficked in Texas at any given time, not including migrant children. Online enticement increased 156% in 2025, and cyber tip reports related to child sex trafficking rose 1,100% (from 8,480 in 2023 to 105,877 in 2025) due to the REPORT Act.
  • Project to Protect Our Children's programs include the Youth Action Board (a student-led anti-trafficking club now in multiple Texas schools), an E3 professional development program for at-risk youth, educator training, and a free 23-minute Human Trafficking 101 for employees (available in English and Spanish). The Youth Action Board raised awareness to over 32,715 peers in the past year. The presenter requested that the City of Houston consider requiring human trafficking training for all 20,000 employees.
  • Councilmember Carter noted that Houston is a major hub due to geographic location, interstate access, the port, and major events. He cited a study showing 275,000 online ads for sex trafficking in Texas over two months in 2024, with Houston at the top. Councilmember Alcorn expressed interest in the training and requested the link. Councilmember Carter also mentioned emerging trends in online gaming grooming.

Key Outcomes

  • No formal votes or motions were taken. Councilmembers expressed support for the presenters' work and requested the training link from Project to Protect Our Children to share with all council offices.
  • The committee adjourned, with the next meeting scheduled for Tuesday, June 9, 2026, at 10:00 a.m.

Meeting Transcript

Safety committee, we are going to start this meeting today. Um, we are joined today um by Councilmember Carter and online by Councilmember Evan Shabazz. We are also joined by staff from Vice Chair Jackson's office, Councilmember Cayman's office, Thomas's office, Huffman's office, Ramirez's office, and virtually um by Mayor Pro Tem Castax Tatum's office and Councilman Salinas' office. I think I got everybody. All right, we have two presentations today. Our first presentations will presentation will be Avda. Thank you so much for being here today, and we will get the presentation out of Julie. She's waiting. And HPD is here as well. And for everyone following along, we sent an updated presentation this morning, Alan. Thank you for sending that. So make sure you follow along on the updated one. Thank you. Good morning. My name is Mycia Coulter. I'm the CEO of AVDA, Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse, and I'm joined by retired Lieutenant Julie Pleasant, who is currently the police administrator for Victim Services Division. Today we're going to be discussing domestic violence as a both a public safety and public health issue. Domestic violence is a pattern of power and control. And in Texas, nearly 250,000 families violence offenses were charged last year, with tens of thousands of them in Houston. 52% of victims sought help before being killed. A gun increases homicide risk, the presence of a gun increases homicide risk by 500%. When there's been strangulation involved in the domestic violence, it is likely that that victim will come succumb to domestic violence homicide. 750% of the time. Leaving is the most dangerous time for an abuse victim. Victims stay because of fear, financial dependence, children, trauma bonding, and threats. What may look like non-cooperation on the part of the victim is actually sometimes an act of survival. If you will, would you move to slide three? So in 2023, 48,000 147 domestic violence offenses were charged here in Houston. In 2024, 49,947 were charged. In 2025, 46,396 homicide. I mean, I'm sorry, domestic violence offenses were charged. These are what we know occurred. Because domestic violence happens again behind closed doors in secrecy. The fact that these numbers are as high as they are, we still don't know who and all who all is experiencing domestic violence in our city. So I'm sure you've heard it said before. That's a nationwide statistic. And because of those reasons, we have to have cooperation and collaboration with our partners so that we can get these victims out of their current situations. And when I say that, I mean an immediate response on scene to intervene in an emergency situation to get those immediate needs to have them to get assistance and to have their needs met right where they are. So, what we see in patrol is a lot of a revolving door. So collaboration is key. So we're gonna talk about the system gaps and where we see deficits in our system right now. Um, if you will move to uh the slides that begin with systems gaps, thank you. Keep going. There you go. Um, there are major gaps. Most of them occur because there are such high call volume. 59% of those who do call and need shelter are being denied shelter um because of the lack of availability of space in our area. Um there is also a lack of follow-up and limited coordination across the system. So, although these survivors encounter the system and resources that are available, because there's a lack of connectivity and collaboration on the part of those who are here to help in terms of just communication, being able to respond timely when someone is reaching out in crisis, then it makes it a harder for us to sustain help with these individuals because we're basically um staggered and protracted and and and scattered in terms of how we responds. What we know is that there is a model that can work and has been working for us in terms of how we respond.

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