Mayor John Whitmire says City of Houston rescinds application for $148M federal public safety grant

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Houston Mayor John Whitmire said on Tuesday that the city has rescinded its application for a federal grant that would have brought in nearly $150 million for public safety.

ABC13 first reported last month that the city had submitted the application as part of the Department of Justice's Model Cities Initiative.

The Department of Justice said the initiative is meant to emphasize common-sense, proactive policing, in addition to increasing police activity in high-crime areas.

Whitmire said in a statement that the city withdrew its application for two reasons.

He said one "error" was that the application was submitted to the Department of Justice without approval from City Council.

“In the effort to ensure the application was submitted on time, staff prematurely submitted it before the required council approval was secured," Whitmire said in a statement.

Whitmire also said there was no clear understanding of what the city needed to do to receive the funds.

Councilwoman Amy Peck told ABC13 in September that the money would have made a difference for public safety in Houston.

"The city desperately needs this money," said Peck at the time. "It's over $148 million for various items related to public safety, such as reducing violent crime, reducing teen violence, and domestic violence."

Peck told ABC13 at that time that voting on the application was removed from the council's agenda twice because the governing body wanted to learn more about the initiative.

"It's just helpful to know what the parameters are and what the expectations are from the City of Houston," Peck said during that interview.

To accept the funds, the Department of Justice said the city would have had to align with the department's priorities.

Two of those priorities included directly supporting law enforcement operations, including those related to immigration, as well as combating violent crime.