Harris County, TX– We’re a short two-and-a-half months away from the March Primary Election cycle. It’s time to acquaint you with another candidate whom we believe could improve the state of our county: Glenn Cowan, Republican candidate for Harris County Sheriff.

After getting to know Cowan, Katy and Fort Bend Christian Magazines have identified the police sergeant and man of God as the ideal candidate for Harris County Sheriff for several reasons. Perhaps most crucially, Cowan shares the values and interests of our readership: to build a tougher stance on crime and keep Harris County safe.

Below is our interview with Glenn Cowan, which spans his personal and professional backgrounds, his stances on Republican priority policies and his relationship with the Lord.

Q: I’ve heard you had a basketball career at Faith West Academy and beyond! Tell us about that.

A: “I was born in Baytown, TX, and raised in Crosby, TX. While attending Crosby High School, a coach named Dave Stallman, from Faith West Academy in Katy, TX, recruited me to play basketball for them after seeing me play at a church league,” Cowan said.

“While at Faith West, I met a skinny kid named Ted Cruz. Ted and I were on the basketball team together, as well as speech and debate and student council. After Faith West, I attended Oral Roberts University on a full athletic scholarship. Due to a coaching shake-up, I transferred to Northern Oklahoma College in Tonkawa, Oklahoma, which was the two best years of my college experience!”

“I made so many close friends with whom I still stay in contact. Afterward, I finished my college years at Texas A&M University at Commerce,” he explained.

Q: Discuss your experience as a police sergeant and your personal background and how these will aid you in your prospective seat as sheriff in Harris County.

A: “I have been with the Houston Police Department for fifteen years. But before that, I was a pastor, and I’m still an ordained minister. I also served as a jail supervisor with another agency before coming to HPD, and I feel these experiences gave me a breadth of unique skills,” Cowan said.

“After I arrived at HPD, I served as a field trainer for new officers, learning how to do the job. As a police sergeant, I have dealt with many critical incidents that have expanded my leadership capabilities and breadth of knowledge in leading police officers in hellish conditions. Some of these situations include leading officers on the very first night of the George Floyd riots in downtown Houston and in officer-involved shootings.”

“As a police supervisor, you manage type-A personalities, so everyone wants to be in charge. Leading law enforcement officers is unlike any other leadership role one could ever experience. Furthermore, most – if not all – rank and file and command-level law enforcement personnel, and I would agree that if one has no police supervisory experience, then they are unqualified to be a sheriff of the third largest county in the nation,” Cowan argued.

“I also have experience as a hostage negotiator and have assisted the Chicago Police Department in their sergeant promotional process. Since I’m passionate about what I do, I obtained my master’s degree in criminal justice from Tarleton State University, and I am currently working on my Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from Liberty University.”

Q: If you have any specific stories you can talk about your experience as a police sergeant, please provide one!

A: “I remember going downtown the first night of the George Floyd riots. I reported to the Central Patrol Division at 61 Riesner as ordered, and the building had a security perimeter like a compound under siege,” Cowan began.

“I remember the scene looking post-apocalyptic, with people running around on the streets with no cars to be seen anywhere. When I arrived downtown, I saw officers in disarray with no leadership – we were short on supervisors – so I stepped up and eased the panic I saw in some of the officers’ faces.”

“Officers were asking me for directions and looking to me for leadership, and I stepped up to the challenge. It was in this situation that most people would never experience that I realized how vital it is to have qualified leadership that is ready at a moment’s notice.

“We should ask sheriff candidates tough questions about their recent training, supervisory experience, real-life scenarios that they have encountered, and their commitment to protecting citizens’ constitutional rights. One Republican candidate has stated that you just need to be a good politician to be sheriff – I think 100% of Harris County citizens would disagree.”

Q: In light of the rampant crime and rogue judges in Harris County, how will you keep the city safe?

A: “Although the sheriff has no control over the judges, I can use the sheriff’s office as a platform to publicly expose and shame the judges who are embracing the false bail reform theory. Bail reform activists canonize offenders without the means to pay bail to subjugate the victims so that they are unseen as third parties to the argument.”

“Victims cannot be disregarded as second place in the criminal justice system. On the contrary, they should be the face of the offense and receive primacy as the embodiment of the state’s representation during the judicial process. Bail reform judicial activists are recklessly and willingly placing the community at risk to satisfy their liberal ideologies that are killing innocent citizens, including children and the elderly.”

“Another way I can help the city and county be a safer community is by reducing gun crime through a pragmatic approach. It’s no secret that leftists want to restrict second amendment rights and explain that guns are the reason for all the violence. However, officers countywide are repeatedly arresting violent repeat offenders committing crimes with weapons,” he exclaimed.

“Federal gun laws have severe penalties for felons in possession of firearms committing crimes. If the Harris County DA’s office and judges want to obstruct justice in our community, then I will seek cooperation from the U.S. Attorney’s office to file federal weapons charges on violent repeat offenders and get them off the streets for good.”

“Additionally, I am calling for Texas gun law reform so that state gun laws mirror federal standards which would greatly enhance sentencing for certain gun crimes. Leftists will cry foul and say that this will overpopulate prisons, but criminal justice experts all agree that the deterrence of harsh sentencing will significantly slow the continuance of such crimes. Additionally, most violent crimes are by repeat offenders who constitute a small group committing most of the violent crimes.”

“Another method of reducing crime is by updating the extradition process. If a violent offender has a warrant outside the county and the issuing agency refuses to pick them up, they are usually released. However, if elected, I will take any individual with a violent record and warrant and extradite them if the issuing agency refuses to pick them up. Most agencies nationwide are small (most people don’t know that), so it also helps smaller agencies that do not have the staffing resources to extradite farther distances. In doing so, we get dangerous offenders off Harris County streets, so our citizens are safe,” Cowan illuminated.

“We also need more corrections officers and deputies now. HCSO, like others, is severely understaffed. Harris County is projected to grow to over 6 million by 2040. That’s just 17 years away, and we’re already in a severe shortfall with personnel. Additionally, 80% of the growth in the county is occurring in the unincorporated areas where HCSO serves.”

“I will circumvent the Commissioner’s Court to get state and federal funding to get more corrections officers and deputies. Additionally, we will change the tired culture of the department, skyrocket morale, and make it a desirable place to work. I will back officers and not allow ‘woke’ ideology to mandate their careers.”

“In other words, no more internal affairs discipline due to frivolous complaints of officers just trying to do their jobs in the most stressful environments imaginable. Officers don’t feel supported and backed. This job can be hideously draining on mental and physical health, and they are dying and leaving this profession. Officers are people like anyone else, and I will not allow them to suffer abuse by the social justice clerics any longer.”

Q: What is your relationship with your family like? What about with the Lord?

A: “Next to the Lord, nothing matters to me more than my family. My wife, Zina, and I are about to celebrate 26 years of marriage, and we have three beautiful children that we are very proud of. They are with me on the campaign trail when they are not in school or attending to other commitments. Sunday is our day to be together and worship and visit with our church family. My wife and kids support me in everything that I do, and I am blessed and thankful to have their constant support. They also do a lot of volunteer work for the campaign, which helps tremendously.”

“My relationship with the Lord started when I accepted the Lord as my savior when I was eleven years old. I would sometimes walk myself to church, which was five blocks down the road. I always wanted to be in ministry and was certain I would stay on that path, but the Lord had other plans. I still minister from time to time when requested to do so, and I occasionally help with Bible Study at our church.”

“I believe that Jesus Christ is the only hope that the world has and that He is the answer to all the problems that we face. I believe in this so strongly that we have established an ‘11:50’ group that prays every day at 11:50 a.m., right before lunch. If elected, I will seek to reestablish a ministers’ alliance of community pastors and faith leaders from all over the county and region. We must get the church back to where it belongs – front and center, leading the efforts to heal and restore our communities. It’s not the government’s job to replace the church.”

Q: PLATFORMS: Explain your law enforcement, crime prevention, and community policing philosophies and how you will differ from your competition if elected.

A: “I believe in three legs to criminal justice: restoration of the victim, prosecution of the guilty, and exoneration of the innocent,” Cowan listed.

“Restoration of the victim begins with reestablishing the value of victims in our society. Currently, the state acts as the victim. When someone is prosecuted, they pay fines and fees to the state. But what about the victim?” he posed. “Monetary compensation should be available directly to the victim from the offender.”

“Currently, state law provides victims with small compensation from a state fund, but many suffer severe trauma physically and mentally due to violent assaults. For instance, recently, a repeat offender violently attacked one young Houston woman and will spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair. Her life has been altered – society’s attitude is that she and others like her should be compensated according to their suffering.”

“Of course, victims can never recover damages from the monsters that victimize them, but the offenders should live the rest of their lives compensating their victims in such instances. Additionally, I would like to see a victims’ advocacy center established that will provide one-stop services for victims of crime for all their needs, medical referral services so that they can receive needed free healthcare, free mental health services, and counseling to include faith-based partners.”

“I will also institute a victims’ online case management system. Currently, many attorneys have an encrypted case management portal that allows them to provide updates to their clients. Whenever the portal is updated, the client gets a notification, and they can log in and see documents or read and send messages to the attorney. This same communication system between victims and investigators would greatly increase communication and transparency and would be a great time saver for investigators who work heavy caseloads.”

“Prosecution of the guilty is an assumption of a civil society. We need stronger input from the DA’s office, and we also need judges to be held accountable for an efficient docket and reasonable sentencing using guidelines that state law provides for repeat offenders.”

“Lastly, none of us want to see our loved ones and friends falsely accused of crimes they did not commit. To that end, we also want a criminal justice system that will vigorously support the pursuit of exonerating those who are innocent. For example, many people have been spared from death row and harsh sentences due to DNA evidence. Furthermore, folks who commit minor infractions and make honest mistakes or poor decisions should be shown grace and mercy and given a second chance. Research has shown that societies that wish to restore such people see very little recidivism as it proves to such people that they are valued and encouraged to be productive fellow citizens. I feel that these are viewpoints that many Americans support and agree with,” he proclaimed.

“As far as community policing, my views are identical to those of a man I greatly admire, William ‘Bill’ Bratton, former NYPD Commissioner who served under Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Under Mayor Giuliani, Commissioner Bratton crushed crime in New York City, which was no small feat. His philosophy was based on the broken windows theory that points to blight and social decay as attractants to crime. Additionally, he believed in proactive policing measures that sought to stop crime before the point of fruition.”

“This is the kind of policing that most Americans want to see when done the proper way and not abusive. We must always maintain the rights of every person, regardless of who they are. I recently spoke with Mr. Bratton, who provided me with key advice should I win the election. I was honored to glean his advice and think that most Harris County residents wouldn’t mind having Bill Bratton’s influence in crushing crime in their community.”

Q: Additionally, do you have any other strong stances that you’d like to mention now?

A: “Harris County is a world-class destination. We have the largest medical complex in the world, home to NASA and a spaceport, and one of the busiest ports in the world. We’re a world leader in the energy sector. We have sports, museums, a theater district that is second to none, and award-winning chefs and restaurants. Yet our criminal justice system is comparable to a third-world banana republic and dystopian dump. People are dying, and I’m sick of it. Bail reform doesn’t work, and we’ve proven it. If something doesn’t change with crime and the way we approach it, Houston and Harris County will decline.

“To address this issue, we need qualified leadership. Voters want new, fresh, innovative, and qualified leadership. They’ve had it with tired politicians looking for another seat to occupy who will bring nothing new or different to the table. If the right candidates do not step up, voters will side with the incumbents we’re trying to replace.”