Judge Hidalgo, and How to Call the Police a Mafia Without Calling Them a Mafia

How to say cops can’t be trusted without calling them a mafia.

Whether it’s law enforcement’s failure to be trustworthy, or their apathy towards an elected official’s spiteful indifference towards them, it leaves the constituency at unnecessary odds and duress. On the one hand, any thinking individual in Harris County sees it necessary to ensure law enforcement is adequately funded to combat rising crime. On the other, it is incumbent on law enforcement to behave professionally and impartially, no matter their political disagreements or agreements, towards those they’re charged to protect. There is a failure somewhere when Judge Lina Hidalgo, an elected official, purchases a contract for private security.

One could argue the $120,000 for the contract should go towards in-house protection for Judge Hidalgo, but I would ask what is law enforcement doing to not earn it? For one, according to Hidalgo, they are the ones recommending she hire outside protection.

Any speculation for why Hidalgo feels county law enforcement is inadequate would be conjecture in my part, but the allusions in the article make it worthwhile. She states the threats towards her and her staff go beyond the pale. She is shifting security detail to the Harris County Fire Marshal’s office, as they are appointed and not elected.

Let’s be candid about the political climate in Harris County: If anyone wants to win an election, no matter their platform, they must run as a Democrat. Just look at how the unknown Hidalgo rode the straight-ticket blue wave—spurred by Beto O’Rourke in 2018—to unseat the popular Republican Ed Emmett.

Despite the Fraternal Order of Police’s overwhelming endorsements for Republican candidates, the law enforcement community has at least tepid relations with elected Democrats. While the Houston Police Officers’ Union had closed-door negotiations with the Democratic mayor and increased the department’s budget, the rest of the country talked about defunding the police. However, any action or inaction by Hidalgo is met with ire. The difference is Hidalgo does not appoint a chief of law enforcement, and Sheriffs and Constables are elected. They can be as critical of her as they want. Even Houston’s resident butt pimple, Joe Gamaldi, can jab at her via Twitter.

The only leverage Judge Hidalgo has over Sheriffs and Constables is funding. Although funding increased in 2022, Republicans wanted to cut other services to pay even more towards law enforcement. However, Hidalgo was unwilling to cut her constituency’s services.

A few weeks ago, District Attorney Ogg’s office filed warrants to search Hidalgo’s office and charged her staff for misuse of information. This comes after Ogg stood next to dozens of constables at Commissioners Court and accused Hidalgo of defunding the police by not funding the DA’s office. Despite this, the DA’s office got even more funding than they asked.

This begs the question: despite appeasing all sides, how bad did things get for Judge Hidalgo to begin shifting the Harris County Fire Marshal’s office to security detail? It almost seems law enforcement is leveraging their indifference towards her. Again, this is speculation and conjecture.

Whether it’s performative, or there truly is a pressing need for which law enforcement cannot be trusted, tax payers are footing the bill for a private security contract to protect an elected official. Never mind that Hidalgo wants to shift her personal detail to appointed members rather than depend on elected officials; we all want to be safe from criminals and bad police conduct. Even after the county and Houston increased funding, there’s still a prevalent “us vs them” rift. The gash left after the George Floyd protests showed us all how ugly things can get, and our elected officials sure as hell aren’t setting good examples.

Citizens are waiting hours for police response, and all the funding in the world can’t help low recruitment rates. We demand professionalism from our police, yet circumstances dictate they lower hiring standards. If our government and police are a reflection of the citizenry’s capacity for good, do you feel better?

Why I Think Things Will Be Okay

I firmly believe Harris County is at the forefront of what the country can achieve. A blue dot surrounded by a sea of red suburbanites that work and play in the blue. One in service to the other, with some posing as the other for political gain. If we maintain adequate funding for the police while funding “liberal” services for our residents, we could have the best two-pronged approach to improving our society. If only politics would spite each other with positive actions rather than indifference. It used to be you won a vote by doing something, not waiting for someone to fail.