Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40AMERICAN POLICE BEAT: DECEMBER 2016 7 “If you want to effect change, then you better get on in and pray for us. That’s the only way that change is going to happen.” These words were spoken by the vice president of the Houston Police Officers Union, Doug Griffith, at a recent press conference an- nouncing plans for a state- wide event called, “Let’s Pray Texas.” H o u s t o n Mayor Syl- vester Turner and other dig- nitaries talked about why the event was so important and its ultimate goal of bring- ing the police and the com- munities they serve back to- gether. “We held the ‘Let’s Pray Houston’event last January,” Griffith ex- plained. “And now we’re tak- ing it across Te x a s . We have reached out to people all across the state – com- munity people, politicians, po- lice unions and departments, and all first re- sponders.” “This event is not just for peo- ple who love and support the police,” Griffith added. “It’s also for the people who don’t sup- port us; the ones who are critical of current law enforcement practices and policies.” The mayor has been nothing but enthusias- tic. He noted that it was a great event for Houston and it’s even greater now it’s gone statewide – police and the people praying together. The Mayor said, “When I think about what has taken place in the last 11 months like the shooting that took place in West Uni- versity area, where nine people were injured, you can see there is a need to pray for one another and for all of law enforcement.” “Let’s Pray Texas” kicked off with 24 h o u r s o f prayer at the Houston po- lice union’s prayer room. Members of the union handed out “Pray for Po- lice” and “Let’s Pray Texas” wristbands to the groups of people who par- ticipated. “We prayed to- gether–Houston cops and people from the com- munity prayed that we will stay together and stay safe and that the leaders of our nation and our local commu- nities will be protected from harm,” Griffith said. Community and police join hands in prayer “We have reached out to people all across the state – community people, politicians, police unions and departments, and all first responders.” – Doug Griffith, Vice President, Houston Police Officers Union ‘Let’s Pray Houston’ was such a big success, it’s now spread across the state of Texas Let’s Pray Houston, a project initi- ated by the Houston Police Officers Union, was so successful it’s now spreading like wildfire across the state of Texas. Above: some of the folks who are involved. At right are Houston officials including Doug Griffith (to left in back of the police official on right). The program has gone a long way to bridge the gap between residents and the law en- forcement people who protect them. 800-GUNHIDE 631-841-6300 Dept # APD6 431 Bayview Avenue Amityville, NY 11701 desantisholster.com MSRP Style 145 2499 $ ™ OUTBACK • OWB/IWB leather holster • Clip allows unlimited positioning as an IWB • Twin-slotted pancake style OWB keeps gun close & tight ‡VL]HVÀ WDOPRVWall concealable handguns Tuckable™ 360