10/9/19: Press Release – Crime Stoppers of Houston Gala Raises $433,000 to Fight Crime and Sex Trafficking in Houston

Crime Stoppers of Houston Gala Raises $433,000 to Fight Crime and Sex Trafficking in Houston

HOUSTON (October 9, 2019) – One of Houston’s premier fall charity events, the Crime Stoppers of Houston ‘Leading the Way to a Safer Houston’ Gala took place on October 2, 2019 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel Downtown. The event brought together more than 370 generous supporters, courageous victims of crime, devoted community advocates, elected officials and law enforcement from across the Greater Houston Area for an incredible evening that raised more than $433,000 to fund critical crime solving and prevention programs.

This year’s Gala was chaired by ‘Leading Women for Public Safety’ Donae Chramosta, Maha Khan and Jerri Duddlesten Moore who have a longstanding commitment to the mission of Crime Stoppers and deeply care about the safety of all who call Houston home. The event was also supported by honorary chairs Brigitte Kalai and Sippi Khurana. As Houston’s only non-profit solely dedicated to public safety, Crime Stoppers relies on community support to provide innovative programs that proactively address serious felony crime, combat human trafficking, address dangers and threats affecting schools, tackle animal cruelty and terrorism, provide services to victims of crime and their families, and so much more.

The Wednesday affair began with a lively cocktail reception full of exciting silent auction bidding, live music by Houstonian Big Band, and a preview of the Gala raffle items. For only $100 per ticket, guests could enter to win either a brand new 2019 Jeep Renegade donated by Alan Helfman, President of River Oaks Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram, or an authentic 35 cm Hermes Birkin bag donated by Donae Chramosta of The Vintage Contessa and Times Past.

Once in the Imperial Ballroom, Houston Media Icon Dave Ward led the room with opening remarks that included a moment of silence in memory of fallen Harris County Deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal and reflections for a safer community. Dave then turned it over to the night’s mistress of ceremonies KPRC 2 News Anchor Dominique Sachse who eloquently encouraged guests to continue to give throughout the night to support the important mission of Crime Stoppers.

During a time when she would normally talk about crime ‘statistics’, Crime Stoppers CEO Rania Mankarious took the stage to very specifically talk about the state of criminal behavior in Harris County, its escalation and the alarming rate in which violent felony offenders are being released back into our communities without serving proper time. Leaders from the city, county and state were all involved in the nonpartisan event which included a message from Ivanka Trump in support of Crime Stoppers of Houston’s unique approach in combatting human trafficking, arresting traffickers and educating the community, especially teens and young adults.

“Crime Stoppers of Houston has been at the forefront of keeping communities safe. It’s an issue that affects the quality of life of everyone equally and one that we must come together to address in a nonpartisan, non-politician way. We are thankful for our relationships that run deep in the city, county and state and the model we are becoming for the nation when it comes to community driven public safety.” said Crime Stoppers CEO Rania Mankarious

As the night continued, Gala chairs Donae, Maha and Jerri delivered inspiring remarks and were joined by Crime Stoppers’ newest Youth Ambassador, Bella Chramosta, who courageously spoke of how crime and school threats have affected her life. The four of them then spearheaded the “paddles up” portion of the night that saw generous gifts from many in the room.

The evening closed with a highly anticipated keynote address from FBI Profiler John Douglas, also known as the real “Mindhunter,” who discussed his incredible work studying and corresponding with the nation’s most gruesome murders and crime cases. From life inside the prison, to the psychology of the correspondence, to the needs of the victims, he covered it all.

Wednesday’s celebration was supported by many individuals, community partners and generous underwriters, including Dave Ward, Alan Helfman, President of River Oaks Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram, Brigitte and Bashar Kalai, Sippi and Ajay Khurana, Donae and Rob Chramosta of The Vintage Contessa & Times Past, Hallie Vanderhider, Michelle and Mike Heinz, Ben and Margaret Morris, PBK, Susan and Dan Boggio, Petersen Family Foundation, Seffs/Marshalls/Savarese Fight Fit, Allegiance Bank, Amber and Cary Gray, Amy and Rob Pierce, Bryan Beene, Compass Real Estate, Buffalo Bayou Resources, Inc., CenterPoint Energy, Elva and Truett Akin, Scott & Lindsay Aronstein/Connectivity Source, Frost Bank, Harris County District Attorney’s Office, H-E-B, Esmat and Hazem Ahmed / Independent Bank, Jerri and Jim Moore, John Crapitto / Melissa Davis, Kip and Jennifer Hohman, Maha and Omar Khan / Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company, Mission Constructors, Inc., Perkins Family, PPI Security, Texas Inter-Faith Housing/Portfolio Resident Services, and Urban Air Adventure Parks (Sugar Land, Pearland, The Woodlands, Katy).

Among guests were Bill Baldwin, Constance White, Darcel and Fenner Weller, Duyen Huynh, Honelie Harper, Iaif and Merrie Afseth, Javaid Anwar, Jennifer Reyna, Jill Talisman, Kim Bonnen, Laura Davenport, Leisa Holland-Nelson, Logan Leal, Mauri Oliver, Mona and Wasay Khan, Natalie Ariz, Nina Magnon, Rachelle Rowe, Sofia Adrogué, Sonya and Jeff Vaden, Tama Lundquist, Tena Faust, Tracy Faulkner, Vikki Rizzo, and Whitney and Marc Lawson.

Notable guests include the Honorable First Lady of Texas Cecilia Abbott, State Senator Larry Taylor, State Representatives Gene Wu and Jim Murphy, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg, Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan, Harris County District Clerk Marilyn Burgess, Commissioner R. Jack Cagle, as well as Council Members Jack Christie, Mike Knox, Mike Laster and Brenda Stardig, Houston Police Department Chief Art Acevedo, Harris County Precinct 1 Constable Alan Rosen, Harris County Fire Marshall Laurie Christensen, and Judges Maria Jackson, Ronnisha Bowman and Chuck Silverman.

On Monday, October 7, 2019, using www.randompicker.com, Crime Stoppers drew winners for the Gala raffle which included Dave Wood and Jan Bartholomew as winner of the brand new 2019 Jeep Renegade and Andrea Hellyer winner of the authentic Hermes Birkin bag. Congratulations to the winners!

If you would like to learn about Crime Stoppers of Houston and our prevention programs, visit www.crime-stoppers.org or call 713-521-4600.

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Terroristic Threats and Hoax Threats in our Schools

Many parent’s worst nightmare is a tragic event, such as a school shooting, happening at their child’s school. Because of this fear and the rise of school shootings, terroristic threats amongst school children has gained a lot of local, state, national and even world-wide attention. How do you know if people mean what they say or if they are just blowing off steam or joking around? The scary truth is that we, as every-day citizens and parents, cannot know. What is a terroristic (or hoax) threat? Why are students making these kinds of threats, and what do we do when we, or our students, overhear someone making a threat of any kind?

Who is making these threats?
Anyone. In schools, we see students primarily make these kinds of threats, although we have also seen instances where parents and other adults make these threats as well.

What exactly is a terroristic or hoax threat?
According to Section 22.07 of the Texas Penal Code: Any type of threat of violence against a person or institution with intent to: Cause a reaction by emergency services, place a person in fear of serious bodily injury, prevent or interrupt the use of a building, facility or meeting area is considered a terroristic/hoax threat. The word “terroristic” alone sounds menacing and is not typically a word associated with school children, but that is where we must change our thinking. Students are being charged with this crime at an alarming rate and we need to educate the students in our life on this issue. The law as it is written is a bit gray and students are falling into that grayness. Below are a few examples:

• A boy playing Fortnite and using a headset to communicate with other plays. While playing the game, which is comprised of killing of other players, he says he’s going to do the same thing to the students at his school the next day
• A student posts a picture, on social media, of a handgun alerting students to not come to school the next day
• A student sending a text in a group chat saying she is going to blow up the school tomorrow, so they do not have to worry about turning in an assignment the next day

In all three of these examples, the name of the school is not mentioned, the students may or may not have real access to a weapon (they can use a picture off the internet), each of these students could later say they were just joking, yet all three of the students in these examples could get charged for making a terroristic threat. This may seem over the top and excessive however, if your child attended the school where any of these threats were made you would want to ensure their safety. It is critical for us to step into this space and talk to our students about the consequences that could stem from making a threat of this nature.

When and where are these threats being made?
These kinds of threats are made at any time of day and anywhere. We see students make threats both in person but also online. Even if a threat is not made at school or during the school day, there can be legal ramifications for making a threat.

Why do people make terroristic threats?
Often times students make these kinds of threats because they either think it is funny or as a form of defense. The bottom line here is not really why people make these threats but instead that these threats are illegal no matter the reason they are made.

Wrongs
Listen, we are all guilty of saying things we do not mean. If my parents meant everything they said, I would still be grounded and writing this from my childhood bedroom. The main problem is that consequences are no joke. Even if you are not arrested, you could be suspended from school, sent to alternative placement and suffer social consequences. Currently, schools have a zero-tolerance policy and therefore, at minimum school disciplinary action is inevitable.

What now?
If you or your student ever hears of someone making a threat of any kind, we highly encourage you to report that threat to authorities.

• For immediate help and emergencies call 911
• Crime Stoppers of Houston anonymous tip line 713-222-TIPS (8477)
• FBI 713-693-5000

Juvenile Law

Juvenile law is something that parents don’t often think to talk to their students about, but there are a few things that we, at Crime Stoppers, feel all students (and parents) need to be aware of. First of all, we are not lawyers, nor do we claim to be, but we do work with student all day, every day.

Through presenting to students regularly, we have found that students are often very confused, and even misinformed about the legal system. Because of that we want to encourage parents to research laws that pertain to the specific county you reside in so that you can begin having critical conversations about juvenile laws with your students. When talking with your students about juvenile laws it is important to remember that in the state of Texas, 17 is the legal age of adulthood. This means that 17 is when you can enter the adult legal system and is when you can go to adult jail/prison. It is also vital to approach conversations with the understanding that when it comes to juveniles, judges have a lot of say in what a student’s punishment or sentence will be. Because of that, it is really difficult to identify a specific punishment or expected sentence. Every juvenile case truly is different.

Age Affecting Criminal Responsibility

The age of affecting criminal responsibility in the state of Texas, as stated in Texas Penal Code 8.07, is 15. However, if you are between the ages of 10 and 15, the judge in your case CAN decide that you knew what you were doing was bad when you did it, and therefore you can be charged for whatever crime you committed. To us here at Crime Stoppers, and the way we like to message this law, is that at 10 you are eligible to have legal consequences for your actions. Meaning, if you are 10 or older, in the state of Texas, a judge CAN decide to charge you with a crime as a consequence for what you said or did in person or online.

Child Pornography

With that said, one of the biggest topics we get questions about when we are out presenting is what are the laws surrounding inappropriate pictures. Students are shocked to find out that they can get arrested simply for having an inappropriate image on their device. The laws about these kinds of images, which are considered child pornography, in the state of Texas, can get a bit confusing. Texas Penal Code 43.26 says:

“A person commits an offense if the person knowingly or intentionally possesses, or knowingly or intentionally accesses with intent to view, visual material that…depicts a child younger than 18 years of age…who is engaging in sexual conduct, including a child who engages in sexual conduct as a victim of an offense…”

Essentially what that means is that it is illegal to knowingly have a naked, partially naked, or even suggestive of being naked image/video of anyone under the age of 18 on ANY device. That kind of leads us right into the next part of this law. If you continue to read the penal code it gets very long and confusing so we won’t get too much more into that, but we do always encourage you to read the codes for yourself and to again, do your own research about the laws in your county. The next part of the law is the part that typically truly shocks students. What you and your student(s) need to know is this it is illegal for someone under the age of 18 to take an inappropriate picture of themselves or anyone else who is under 18. That is called creating child pornography. It is illegal for anyone to knowingly have an inappropriate picture of them or anyone else under 18 – that is possession of child pornography, and it is illegal to pass along an inappropriate picture of anyone under the age of 18 – that is called distribution of child pornography. Now, while all forms of child pornography are illegal, typically what we see is that distribution of child pornography gets a much heftier sentence than creating or possessing child pornography does.

There are so many other laws that are valuable for students and parent to know and discuss regularly. We hope the laws referenced here will spark conversation in your household, and that you will be encouraged to find out more about how to protect yourself and your student from ever entering the legal system.

Camping Safety

As the summer vacation looms, and you’re looking for family-friendly, cost-effective, and local or wilderness sites, please consider your Texas State Parks. Families who play outside are healthier, happier, and smarter. There are lots of options close to your home for a great stay-cation! With a variety of environments, amenities, and activities, you can play for the day or enjoy the summer evenings in many Houston area State Parks.

Camping is a great way to explore and immerse your family in the fun of our special areas in the state. We invite you to come to your Texas State Parks (90+ options) and overnight in a tent, RV, shelter, or cabin with adventures for all skill levels.

New to camping? Sign up for a Texas Outdoor Family workshop in the Houston area, run in the fall and spring seasons. You and your family will learn the basic outdoor skills needed to enjoy a great camping trip. No experience is necessary!

Camping Safety

Whether you decide to try it out on your own, or want to join our Texas Outdoor Family program, you may want to keep some of the basic camping safety in mind for the best experience during your next overnight trip:

• Keep watch on children! You are responsible for the safety of youth, so make sure you know where your kids’ area and what they are doing.
• Be aware of the natural surroundings. There may be plants with thorns or stickers.
• You are a visitor in wildlife’s home. Keep a safe distance from wild animals. Although they may look cute, they are wild and can carry disease.
• Never feed the wildlife! Feeding wildlife can encourage bad behavior by animals and is against park regulations.
• Be careful with fire. Never leave a fire unattended and be sure your campfire is out when you break camp.
• Axes, knives and saws are useful tools, but be sure you know how to properly use them.

Camping Etiquette

Courteous behavior makes camping more fun for everyone.

• Please think about your fellow campers. Keep noise levels down, especially at night.
• Leave the area clean. Pick up your trash and make sure to check the area for items you may have forgotten.
• Keep food out of the reach of animals. Put food items away after use. Raccoons and other animals will take advantage of your carelessness.
• Dispose of wastewater properly. Dumping gray water can pollute waterways and attract unwanted pests.
• Camp in designated campsites. Use a tent pad if provided and keep vehicles on the pavement.
• Leave your campsite cleaner than you found it.

We hope you come visit and enjoy your beautiful Texas State Parks soon. Check out our TPWD website for more camping options, park details, or special events near you. Life’s Better Outside!

Fireworks Safety Tips

It is fireworks season in Harris County. Sales of retail fireworks begin on June 24 and end at midnight on July 4. Fireworks are beautiful to watch and synonymous with celebrating the 4th of July. The Harris County Fire Marshal’s Office encourages everyone to visit public displays of fireworks. This is the safest way to enjoy fireworks. For a list of all public displays, you can visit www.hcfmo.net.

Each year, HFCMO responds to and investigates injuries and improper use of fireworks. If you choose to purchase and shoot fireworks on your own, please be safe and follow the following fire safety precautions:

• – Follow the law.
• – Make sure fireworks are legal in your community.
• – Read and follow the directions and warning labels on fireworks packaging.
• – Never allow children to play with or ignite fireworks.
• – Light only one firework at a time.Do not point fireworks at homes, buildings, or people.
• – Never consume alcohol or drugs while shooting fireworks.
• – Make sure there is a bucket of water or water source nearby for emergencies.
• – Be considerate of neighbors when it comes to noise and the trash left behind.
• – Soak used fireworks in water before throwing away.
• – Pets and fireworks don’t mix.
• – The loud noises can cause pets to become anxious or afraid.

Although it’s legal to shoot fireworks in unincorporated Harris County, there are a few places you are not allowed to shoot fireworks. If you are shooting fireworks in unincorporated Harris County, you should not shoot them:

• – Within 600 feet of any church, hospital, an asylum, a licensed child care center, or public or private primary or secondary school or institution of higher education
• – Within 100 feet of a place where flammable liquids or flammable compressed gasses are stored and dispensed;
• – Within 100 feet of a place where fireworks are stored or sold;
• – Ignite or discharge fireworks in or from a motor vehicle; and
• – Place ignited fireworks in, or throw ignited fireworks at, a motor vehicle.

A person caught violating any of the rules above, can be charged with a Class B or Class C misdemeanor.

Did you know there is a difference between commercial fireworks and those sold to the general public? Only 1.4G fireworks may be sold to the general public. Fireworks that are 1.3G may only be sold to licensed pyrotechnic operators. These fireworks are typically larger and have more firepower than typical consumer fireworks. It is important that 1.3.G fireworks are only handled by a person who has a license and has been professionally trained to handle these explosives safely.

Did you know that businesses, organizations, neighborhood associations, and individuals who hold a firework display using consumer fireworks (1.4G) for more than 50 people must obtain a permit from the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) and have at least one Texas licensed special effects pyrotechnic operator on-site at all times when pyrotechnics are being used, discharged, or ignited. If you are thinking about having a large group watch fireworks, you might need a permit. This rule was put into place as a safety measure and helps ensure the safety of those popping the fireworks and those watching. You can obtain this permit through the Harris County Fire Marshal’s Office. For more information, visit http://hcfmo.net/documents/fireworks/Fireworks_Display_Application_16.pdf.

Residents are urged to report complaints regarding the sale or illegal use of fireworks in the unincorporated areas of Harris County by calling (713) 274-1700 or emailing fmosupport@fmo.hctx.net. HCFMO will have an increased presence of inspectors and investigators during the fireworks season to conduct fireworks stand inspections and respond to any complaints. HCFMO wishes everyone a fire safe Independence Day.