Houston Police Chief Resigns Amid Investigation into Suspension of Sexual Abuse Cases

Following allegations that hundreds of thousands of cases, including those involving sexual abuse, were suspended due to a department policy in Houston, Police Chief Troy Finner unexpectedly retired from the force on Tuesday night. Finner, who had served as chief since 2021, revealed during an impromptu news conference on Wednesday that the retirement came amid questions regarding the policy that allowed such suspensions to occur. In fact, an internal email obtained by a local news outlet revealed that Finner himself referred to an investigation being suspended due to a “lack of personnel” back in 2018, three years prior to him stating that he first became aware of the policy in 2021. At a press conference in February, Finner claimed that he learned of the practice in 2021, the year he assumed the role of chief, when he ordered the department’s Special Victims Division to cease using the “lack of personnel” code to suspend investigations. According to Finner, the police department had made significant progress reviewing approximately 264,000 investigations suspended since 2016 due solely to a “lack of personnel”. Over 4,000 of these cases involved accusations of adult sexual assault. An independent review committee is currently investigating the matter. Speaking shortly after the KHOU report was broadcast, Finner declared that he had always been truthful concerning the investigation, and that he was unaware of the “suspended lack of personnel” codes utilized by Houston police at the time they were mentioned in the email. Finner’s statement pledged that he would address the media and the general public once the investigation was completed. Mayor John Whitmire notified the city council of Finner’s retirement later that night. Larry Satterwhite, who previously served as executive assistant chief under Finner, was appointed acting police chief by Whitmire on Wednesday. Whitmire declined to disclose whether he had requested Finner’s retirement. During a press conference on Wednesday, the mayor explained that the situation was causing problems within the force and required immediate attention. As of Wednesday afternoon, the police department had yet to officially announce the change in leadership.