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Press Release: Standing for Victims, Crime Stoppers CEO Rania Mankarious Supports Director of Victim Services Andy Kahan and the Community Amidst Concerning Commissioner’s Court Session

HOUSTON (November 10, 2020) – For more than 40 years now, Crime Stoppers of Houston has worked tirelessly to solve crime in our community and advocate for the many victims who have been impacted by crime in our area. In late 2019, Crime Stoppers’ Director of Victim Services, Andy Kahan, noticed a concerning pattern with defendants charged with murder: many of them had been released on multiple felony bonds, bond forfeiture and/or a personal bond. He began studying the issue and in mid-March of this year began tracking the issue based on data from court records. In each case Andy tracks, the victims were killed by a Harris County suspect who: was a defendant who had been released on multiple felony bonds; or had a bond forfeiture reinstated; or had a motion to revoke bond denied; and/or was released on a PR Bond. On Tuesday, October 27, 2020, Andy Kahan appeared before Commissioner’s Court with the intention of sharing this critical data and offering support. We thought the information would be relevant to maintaining public safety while navigating critical changes to felony bail reform. Andy was invited as a guest and in doing so, represented himself, Crime Stoppers of Houston, […]

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Press Release: Crime Stoppers of Houston Urges Harris County Delegation to Take Action this Upcoming Legislative Session on the Issue of Bond Reform to Protect Victims and the Community

HOUSTON (August 20, 2020) – Over 50 people have been killed in Harris County over the last two years as a result of well intentioned, but poorly implemented bail bond reforms. Ashton Broussard had four prior felony convictions and was granted two PR bonds in the days leading up to an altercation where he is alleged to have taken a gun from a security officer before being shot by a Houston PD Sergeant. Cedgadrick Harris was released on a PR bond after allegedly assaulting Kimberley Robinson. He then failed to appear for a routine court hearing, but was still granted a second PR bond. He then allegedly tampered with a government record and was granted a felony bond despite having obviously violated his previous PR bonds. After being released on two PR bonds and a felony bond, Harris kicked down Robinson’s door and shot her to death, injuring her 4-year old daughter in the process. Angel Cardenas was released on a PR bond following his arrest on capital murder and tampering with evidence charges after an alleged accomplice died of gunshot wounds suffered during a shootout following a gun store robbery. Due to these cases and many others, Crime Stoppers […]

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Crime Stoppers of Houston’s Response to the Death of George Floyd

As Crime Stoppers stands as the leading public safety organization, bridging the gap between law enforcement and the community, we have spent a great deal of time processing the events that unfolded following the horrific killing of George Floyd. We all agree that the murder of George Floyd, and countless others, were tragic yet utterly preventable. The officers involved were rightfully removed from their positions and criminally charged. As a public safety organization, we support law enforcement. We do not support police brutality. It is important to recognize the real dangers and threats that law enforcement officers face on a daily basis. With that being said, we fully support a national response that unifies the operational practices of the 18,000 law enforcement agencies in our nation, to include a comprehensive review and outline of all police policies and practices regarding use of force, along with the discipline and removal of law enforcement officers when needed and the parameters around rehiring officers who may have been terminated from other departments. Additionally, we support new and unified techniques for training current and future officers, increasing accountability for excessive use of force and improved data collection. Law enforcement in our area represents the […]

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2/28/20: Houston Family Magazine: Mom•Me: Rania Mankarious, CEO of Crime Stoppers of Houston

When you think of the CEO of Crime Stoppers of Houston, I wager to bet that the last image that comes to mind is a soft-spoken, petite mom of three hailing from Boston. However, as I’m sure you have found, looks can be deceiving. Rania Mankarious made Houston her home by rolling up her sleeves and getting her hands dirty. Citing a personal mission to serve families and engage the public to better society, Mankarious did the unthinkable and made the extraordinary move of taking an internship at Crime Stoppers of Houston in 2006 – even though she was an attorney with a master’s degree. Mankarious knew she had to be a part of Crime Stoppers, an organization unlike any other, and push it to its full potential. She worked vigorously and by 2008 became the organization’s Director of Marketing. Catching the eye of the community in March 2013, she was chosen to lead Houston’s leading public safety non-profit organization, Crime Stoppers of Houston, as the Executive Director. After positively impacting abused children, domestic violence victims, human trafficking victims, homeless animals, entire student bodies and school campuses, neighborhoods and businesses, Mankarious was named Crime Stoppers first CEO in 2018. Through […]

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