Houston Police Chief Refuses to Comment on Potential Issues Revealed by Thousands of Dropped Cases

Houston Police Chief Troy Finner faced tough questions during a meeting with reporters and community leaders regarding the recent revelation that over 264,000 cases filed with the Houston police in the past eight years were dropped without investigation. Finner acknowledged that the department has lost trust with the public due to this scandal, which came to light in February.

The incident reports, which included cases of sexual assault and property crimes, were never submitted for investigation due to a lack of available personnel. Finner did not definitively state whether this issue points to broader cultural problems within the department, but he did admit that accountability measures would be taken.

Mayor John Whitmire has formed an independent panel to review the handling of the dropped cases, and two assistant chiefs have already been demoted over their involvement. Finner revealed that the department has reviewed over 67,000 of the affected incident reports, with a focus on reaching out to individuals who filed sexual assault reports that were suspended.

The internal code used to dismiss cases was implemented in 2016, before Finner became chief in 2021. He stated that he only became aware of its continued use in November 2021 and ordered it to stop, but it was still being used to dismiss sexual assault cases in February 2022.

Community activists, like Cesar Espinosa of FIEL, emphasized the need for transparency in the ongoing investigation and any resulting punishments to prevent such incidents from reoccurring. Finner accepted responsibility for the situation, acknowledging that as chief, he is ultimately accountable.