Updated at 10:30 p.m.: Revised to additional information from Wednesday's town hall.

A statewide police union, one of Texas' largest, called Wednesday for the removal of Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot, who last week announced plans not to prosecute certain low-level crimes.

Austin police Sgt. Todd Harrison, president of the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas, said in a written statement that Creuzot's plan was "unacceptable."

"When he was campaigning for the office, we don't remember not prosecuting crime as part of his platform," Harrison said in the statement.

Creuzot, a Democrat who took the post in January, has said his office would no longer prosecute most first-time marijuana offenses and theft of personal items worth less than $750, unless the theft was for financial gain.

The district attorney also intends to curb excessive bail and probation periods, he wrote in an open letter to the public.

Creuzot said in a statement Wednesday afternoon that his new policy not to prosecute thefts of personal items under $750 was based on research that shows that people who steal necessities like food or diapers "do so out of hunger and poverty."

"This policy was created to help address poverty-related problems, and combat the misuse of resources and taxpayer money," he said.

That message didn't sway local police union leaders who criticized the plan a day after Creuzot's announcement, saying the decriminalization of lower-level theft cases will kill small businesses.

Sgt. George Aranda, a Dallas police officer and president of the Greater Dallas chapter of the National Latino Law Enforcement Organization, said in a statement Wednesday that he was disappointed that Creuzot "has opened up many windows to allow the common criminal to feast on the business retail community."

When asked whether CLEAT or NLLEO had any plans to attempt to remove the district attorney, Aranda said that union leaders wanted to have a meeting with Creuzot to try to persuade him to reconsider his stance on not prosecuting those theft offenses, which Aranda said would take away powers of arrest for everyday patrol officers.

"We want to know the why," Aranda said. "Why was this done without consulting with your local law enforcement officials?"

Creuzot said last week that he had met with police officials before announcing the plan and had asked Dallas city leaders to come up with a plan. He said he didn't get a response and decided to act.

The district attorney said in his statement Wednesday afternoon that some people had misinterpreted what he meant by not prosecuting thefts of personal items under $750.

"Personal items are limited to necessity items," he wrote in the statement. "Personal items would include items such as necessary food, diapers and baby formula."

He said anyone who shoplifts for economic gain will still be prosecuted.

"It is understood that individuals who shoplift items valued near or amounting to $750 are most likely shoplifting for economic gain, such as boosting items for resale, and not out of necessity," the district attorney said.

Aranda said there has been no direction within the Dallas Police Department on how officers should respond to Creuzot's plan, so officers are still making arrests and filing cases as usual.

But Creuzot emphasized that local police departments will still operate according to their policies.

"I have not directed a police department to stop making arrests for theft offenses," he said. "In fact, I have not directed a police department to stop making arrests for any offense where there is probable cause."

Dallas police said in a statement that members of the department were "concerned about the proposed changes," but declined to comment further until after Creuzot's scheduled presentation about his plan to Dallas' Public Safety and Criminal Justice committee on Monday.

Patrick Wilson, county and district attorney for Ellis County, issued a statement after Creuzot's announcement assuring Ellis County residents that "there will be no wholesale declarations that certain laws will not be enforced in this county."

Wilson said it would be dangerous to rely on changing social conventions to determine how to enforce laws.

"If the citizens of Ellis County want a district attorney who refuses to enforce certain laws, they can get one," Wilson wrote in a statement Friday. "But not while I'm in office."

'The Texas Municipal Police Association and Dallas Police Association announced a joint news conference at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, where the groups will voice their opposition to Creuzot's plan.

In a short release announcing the event, officials said the DA's intention to stop prosecuting theft of necessities under $750 has been met with "intense" outcry from community leaders and Gov. Greg Abbott.

The groups believe his plan to stop prosecuting theft under $750 will put Dallas County families in danger and "escalate criminal activity."

Creuzot participated Wednesday night in a town hall at the Texas Theatre, which about 400 people attended. The event to discuss the future of criminal justice reform was hosted by Color of Change, a racial justice advocacy group, in conjunction with the Texas Organizing Project

Town hall attendees peppered the DA with questions about his initiatives on topics including protecting undocumented immigrants, revisiting the criminal records of people convicted of minor crimes and his stance on the death penalty.

Creuzot gave firm answers on some questions: no, he would not rule out pursuing the death penalty, he could not expunge most past minor crimes and he could not allow body cam footage to be released.

On others, he had less information. Creuzot said he had not enacted protections for undocumented immigrants charged with minor crimes.

Brianna Brown, the deputy director of the Texas Organizing Project, said the town hall was one way to ensure Creuzot takes into account the experience of the people most affected by the criminal justice system.

"People power starts the day after the election, it's holding people to their commitments," Brown said.

Brown called the timing of the town hall serendipitous — the event was planned before Creuzot released his new guidelines on prosecutions, probation and bail, which Brown said were "monumental."

Brown said she and voters expect Creuzot to make good on his campaign promises, which is what the DA has said his bail reform plan does, and that she hopes constituents show Creuzot their support as his changes face criticism.

"The opposition is based in fear," Brown said. "The bottom line of the DA's plan is about evaluating if the crime someone committed makes them a threat to society."

Marybeth Onyeukwu, senior campaign manager at Color of Change, said the group has been prepared for opposition to Creuzot's approach since he took office Jan. 1.

She said that while the criticism of Creuzot's plan was unsurprising, she thought the outright refusal from some police departments — such as DeSoto's — was alarming.

The town hall is "an opportunity to show support for people like Creuzot for taking bold action and refusing to lock people up," Onyeukwu said.

Noting she's no legal scholar, Onyeukwu predicted that the conflict might end up in court, where a judge could rule on whether Creuzot's new policies are in line with state law.

"Creuzot has discretion on what crimes to prosecute," she added Friday, "He's well within his authority to do what he's outlined in his memo."

Editor's note: The latest version of this story contains additional comments from Marybeth Onyeukwu, who clarified her thoughts on the district attorney and the reaction to his reforms.