Harris County Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman is once again leaning into Valentine's Day gallows humor, reviving his yearly "Arrest Your Ex" social media post on Tuesday and inviting residents to call in tips if an ex has outstanding warrants. The message spells out the tongue-in-cheek "perks" for anyone hauled in: free transportation, secure accommodations and a professional photo session for those taken into custody. The stunt quickly drew attention on social media and in local news coverage.
What the post offered
Herman's brief post urges people to call Precinct 4 with locations for exes who might be driving drunk, carrying drugs or ducking existing warrants, and it explicitly pitches an arrest as a twisted kind of Valentine's "gift." According to Click2Houston, the post lists "free transportation," "secure accommodations" and a "professional photo session." The station reports that the constable's office said deputies would pursue only legitimate tips.
How the office will respond
Precinct 4's official site lists a Warrants Unit and other avenues for the public to report suspicious activity, according to the Harris County Precinct 4 Constable's Office. The office's services and records pages show non-emergency contact options and an open-records portal the agency can use to vet tips. That setup suggests deputies can route credible leads through formal warrants and records channels rather than responding to every social media mention.
A familiar Valentine's gag
It is a tactic law-enforcement social accounts have used before. Similar Valentine's-themed "arrest your ex" pitches have cropped up around Texas and across the country in past years. The San Antonio Express-News covered a comparable Precinct 4 post in February 2025, and national outlets such as Police Magazine have tracked other agencies that framed public tips as a holiday special. Supporters call it community policing with a wink, while critics say it risks encouraging petty or false reports.
Legal notes
Under Texas law, knowingly making a false statement to law enforcement that is material to an investigation can be prosecuted as the offense of making a false report to a peace officer, a Class B misdemeanor. That penalty is codified in Texas Penal Code Section 37.08, meaning deliberately false tips could expose someone to fines or jail time if prosecutors choose to pursue charges.
Precinct 4's website lists a non-emergency number, 832-927-6200, and online services for reporting tips and records, according to the Harris County Precinct 4 Constable's Office. Whether it lands as a viral joke or a useful way to surface dangerous offenders, Herman's Valentine's post has once again put the office's warrants work in the spotlight.
