Editing Harris County, Texas (section)

====County services====
[[File:Harris County Criminal Courts Building.jpg|thumb|upright|Harris County Criminal Courts Building]]The [[Harris County Flood Control District]] manages the effects of flooding in the county.

The [[Harris County Sheriff's Office]] operates jail facilities and is the primary provider of law enforcement services to the unincorporated areas of the county. The sheriff is the conservator of the peace in the county. The Harris County jail facilities are in northern downtown on the north side of the Buffalo Bayou. The 1200 Jail,<ref>[http://www.hcso.hctx.net/detentioncommand/detention/1200_jail.asp The 1200 Jail] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090223163418/http://www.hcso.hctx.net/detentioncommand/detention/1200_jail.asp |date=February 23, 2009 }}." ''Harris County, Texas''. Accessed September 12, 2008.</ref> the 1307 Jail, (originally a TDCJ facility, leased by the county),<ref>"[http://www.hcso.hctx.net/detentioncommand/detention/1307_jail.asp The 1307 Jail] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081003084112/http://www.hcso.hctx.net/detentioncommand/detention/1307_jail.asp |date=October 3, 2008 }}." ''Harris County, Texas''. Accessed September 12, 2008.</ref> and the 701 Jail (formed from existing warehouse storage space) are on the same site.<ref>"[http://www.hcso.hctx.net/detentioncommand/detention/701_jail.asp The 701 Jail] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080918014649/http://www.hcso.hctx.net/detentioncommand/detention/701_jail.asp |date=September 18, 2008 }}." ''Harris County, Texas''. Accessed September 12, 2008.</ref>

The Community Services Department provides community services. The department maintains the {{convert|20|acre|ha}} Oates Road Cemetery (also known as the Harris County Cemetery) for indigents in eastern [[Houston]], near the former [[Southern Bible College]]. In March 2010, the county adopted a cremation first policy, meaning that the default preference for most indigents is to have them cremated instead of buried. As of 2010, the county authorized the Community Services Department to purchase about {{convert|50|acre|ha}} of land in the [[Huffman, Texas|Huffman]] area so the county will have additional spaces for indigent burials.<ref>Taylor, David. "[https://archive.today/20130125205225/http://www.hcnonline.com/articles/2010/09/02/lake_houston_sentinel/news/090210_county_cemetery.txt County to purchase land for cemetery]." ''[[Lake Houston Sentinel]]''. September 2, 2010. Retrieved on September 7, 2010.</ref>

The Harris County Housing Authority (HCHA) is a governmental nonprofit corporation which addresses the need for quality affordable housing.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Harris County Housing Authority |url=http://www.hchatexas.org/ |work=website |year=2010 |access-date=September 24, 2010}}</ref> The HCHA has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development as the highest performing housing authority in the region and was named one of America's 10 best Public Housing Authorities.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Harris County Housing Authority Honored with Two NAHRO Awards of Merit for Model Housing Solutions |url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Harris+County+Housing+Authority+Honored+with+Two+NAHRO+Awards+of...-a0183644462 |agency=Reuters |publisher=Business Wire |access-date=September 24, 2010 |date=August 25, 2008 |archive-date=February 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180226152001/https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Harris+County+Housing+Authority+Honored+with+Two+NAHRO+Awards+of...-a0183644462 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Guy R. Rankin]], IV is chief executive officer of Harris County Housing Authority (HCHA).