The Research and Analysis Division’s (RAD) first full year under the Office of County Administration (OCA) continued to yield exciting research findings for Harris County! RAD continued to provide support to the Commissioners Court, OCA, and County Departments by helping answer salient questions that the County faces in the modern world. RAD is working with county partners and stakeholders to publish policy reports, provide technical assistance on projects, and create data analyses and dashboards in alignment with County goals articulated in the recently passed
Harris County Strategic Plan.
RAD continued to make findings and information more accessible to Harris County leaders and residents by publishing recap
blogs that highlight notable findings in reports and launching the
Data and Dialogue Lecture series to share data skills and knowledge with county colleagues. Data and Dialogue provides a space for learning and a discussion forum on relevant data and policy-related topic areas every quarter. The goal is to create opportunities for county staff to share innovative policy and data knowledge and continue to strengthen data-informed decision-making in Harris County.
Keep reading to learn more about the impactful work RAD completed in 2024!
General Research TeamMotivated to mesh the recently combined data and research teams, the general research team delved into researching policy challenges and providing data analysis to support the Harris County Commissioners Court and OCA’s operations in making Harris County government run more effectively and efficiently.
RAD’s strategy is to combine the data capabilities of the Data Team with the writing and research knowledge of the General Research team for an amplified research collaboration!
In addition to publishing heavily researched reports, RAD provided county partners with technical support to refine their approaches to programmatic data collection, setting up the foundations for conducting process and impact evaluations for county services. RAD’s general research team was fortunate to work on a diverse array of projects, ranging from developing definitions and identifying datasets alongside OCA and county partners for key measures in the
Harris County Strategic Plan to creating eight American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) program
dashboards demonstrating the locations of funding allocations throughout Harris County.As RAD continues providing technical support and knowledge gathering for Harris County, the General Team also produces well-researched publications that provide comprehensive assessments of key subject areas.
Read on for highlights of RAD publications from 2024:
- Assessing Veterinary Public Health Structures: RAD published a report examining the structures of animal shelters in Harris County and six other large jurisdictions. RAD found that Harris County is not unique in dealing with budgetary challenges, shortage of veterinary staff, and overcapacity at its shelter, which impact all animal shelters assessed, regardless of structure. While Harris County had the second lowest general fund budget ($6.4 million) out of the six entities assessed in 2023, it had the second highest Live Release Rate (LRR) at 95.7%, indicating that there is no apparent relationship between budget and LRR. LRR, which measures the percentage of live outcomes of animals, is a key performance indicator, with shelters striving to achieve an LRR of 90% or greater to align with the “no-kill” shelter standard. Though
LRR is commonly used as a key performance indicator, several public and nonprofit agencies are adopting alternative indicators that shift the narrative away from focusing solely on LRR to more holistic approaches that address community needs. In response to the report, the Harris County CommissionersCourt requested that Harris County Pets, the county animal shelter, report on their progress in implementing RAD’s report recommendations in March 2025. RAD’s report findings were also featured in the Houston Chronicle.
- Increasing Voter Registration and Participation: Ahead of the 2024 election season, RAD examined potential strategies for increasing voter registration and participation in Harris County elections. RAD interviewed elections officials from seven counties and found that while voter registration tends to stay relatively consistent year-over-year, the challenge is usually associated with getting people to the polls, suggesting a need to invest resources in voterparticipation as opposed to voter registration. Examples of voter participation efforts include increasing civic information and public education initiatives and expanding access to the polls through providing transportation-related initiatives, such as free public transit rides on election day, and extending polling hours.
- Exploring Strategies for Detention Officer Recruitment and Retention: In line with the Harris County Strategic Plan’s measurable result of reducing detention officer turnover, the team published a report looking at the challenges jurisdictions face in hiring and retaining detention officers. In assessing eleven other counties, RAD found that Harris County had the fifth lowest detention officer vacancy rate at 11%. Seven out of the eleven counties assessed indicated that they are struggling to recruit and retain detention officers due in part to staff shortages and burnout among officers. However, one featured county, Collin, had a vacancy rate of 0% and a waiting list for individuals wanting to become detention officers. Staff indicated that their success stems from creating a culture of trust and respect among detention officers.
Data Team
As part of RAD’s data warehousing and data interpretation efforts, the Data Team continued to meticulously create dashboards and data tools to
foster transparency and a more nuanced understanding of the Criminal Justice landscape in Harris County while standing up processes to warehouse and understand data sources utilized by the General Research Team.
In addition to maintaining several public-facing dashboards, the Data Team works with Harris County Stakeholders by creating internal dashboards and external reports to facilitate a deeper understanding of the data Harris County collects. Here are some examples of how data dashboards help subject matter experts understand and pull deeper meanings about services:
- Jail Data Navigator: a collaborative effort with the Harris County Sheriff Office’s (HCSO) Detention Performance and Efficiency Department, which aims to swiftly identify Harris County Jail detainees with open pre-trial settings from both felony and misdemeanor court divisions. The Jail Data Navigator also includes ways for stakeholders to flag potential candidates for more in-depth scrutiny and allows for a streamlined process for narrowing down the large pre-trial criminal case population.
- Bail Hearing Daily Time Stamp Report: an automated report emailed daily to the O’Donnell Consent Decree Monitor, HCSO’s Detention Performance and Efficiency Department, and the Public Defender’s Office, which allows stakeholders to swiftly identify individuals in jail on any given day who may be approaching a violation of the O’Donnell Consent Decree’s Rule 9, which maintains that the county is required to release misdemeanor arrestees on personal bond or non-financial conditions as soon as possible after arrest, based on specific criteria.
- External Data Support: A Texas Appleseed report examining the impact that fines and fees from Harris County Criminal Courts have on county residents to develop recommendations. Recommendations will be implemented by County stakeholders in an effort to help alleviate the burden of fines and fees on residents and eliminate racial disparities in their imposition; The American Institute of Research Re-Entry Study to develop data-driven and evidence-based policies that can help reduce recidivism rates and create more stable pathways for those re-entering society after jail or prison; and The Quattrone Center’s ongoing study of Misdemeanor Bail Reform. You can read the first Misdemeanor Bail Reform report in this series here!
Language Access Team
Finding novel philanthropic approaches for RAD to expand research capabilities for Harris County, RAD received a grant from the Houston Endowment to develop a comprehensive Language Access Plan to support non-English speakers in Harris County. The research the Language Access Team is investigating ways to help improve oral and written language services in Harris County for individuals with limited English proficiency (LEP). Since its creation in August of 2024, the Language Access Team has made progress in the needs assessment phase, which is focused on understanding the current state of language access needs and services within Harris County, as well as identifying strategies to address these needs and expand services.
Through conversations with the 16 departments that report to the OCA, data collection and analysis from the United States Census, and a literature review of other jurisdictions’ policies and services, the Language Access Team created an internal Language Access Resource Guide for Harris County departments. The Guide is not intended to provide strict guidelines or policies for departments, but aims to introduce key concepts and updated data and to provide information that may be useful to the OCA and County departments while the Language Access Team is in the process of developing a comprehensive Harris County Language Access Plan (LAP).Stay Connected!Make sure to follow the Office of County Administration’s LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages to stay updated!