July 26th 2024.
After serving as the Houston Police Chief for many years, Troy Finner has recently come forward with some troubling claims against the department. In an interview with the Houston Chronicle, Finner expressed his belief that the city and police department are trying to cover up a scandal that he tried to expose back in May 2024. He alleges that the department has been routinely shelving over 200,000 cases under the code "Suspended - Lack of Personnel," or "SL," which he believes constitutes criminal activity. Finner launched an internal investigation into this issue while still holding the title of chief and even released bi-weekly reports to the public on its progress. He was committed to releasing a full report in May 2024, just before his retirement.
Unfortunately, now that Finner has retired, he fears that the department will not follow through on their promise to release the full report. He points to changes that have been made, such as the reassignment of the commander of the internal affairs department, and the fact that the report has not yet been released. Finner's main concern is that this failure to address the issue will have negative consequences for the department in the future. He states, "Agencies all across the country are watching us. This is our opportunity to do something and lead the way. So I'm proud to take the blows. But tell the whole story."
Finner officially resigned on May 7, and his allegations are centered around the claim that over 250,000 cases have been suspended due to a lack of staffing at HPD Headquarters. While Finner admits to instructing staff to stop using the SL code in 2021, he also acknowledges that the caseload had continued to grow worse. The scandal came to light when Finner received an email from a staff member about a 2018 hit-and-run case, which had been labeled as a "road rage" case using the SL code, despite there being a license plate, suspect description, and witness statement available.
According to HPD spokesman Kese Smith, Finner was informed that the code was no longer in use, but he wanted the department to take further action. Smith states, "Chief Finner has said there will be drastic changes to the culture and operations of the department to move past this and stands by his commitment to investigate every violent crime." Houston Mayor John Whitmire believes that Finner's resignation was prompted by the leaked email, but Finner maintains that he would have taken responsibility regardless. He admits to being one of the busy leaders at the department who used the SL code regularly and not realizing the significance of the suspended cases sooner. "I was the patrol chief, and I read the email and just saw it as someone getting screwed over," Finner shares.
While Whitmire has stated that there is no evidence to support Finner's claims, the mayor plans to release a thorough report to the City Council and the public next week. Ray Hunt, the executive director of the Houston Police Officers' Union, also expressed disappointment in Finner, but specifically regarding the timing of his decision to speak out while the investigation is still ongoing. Hunt assures the public that this issue will not be swept under the rug, stating, "HPOU will not allow that to happen, and I'm confident the mayor won't allow that to happen."
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