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'We The People Organize' calls for HPD Chief Troy Finner to resign amid scandal

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Published  February 28, 2024 8:15pm CST
Crime and Public Safety
FOX 26 Houston

HOUSTON - Amid the controversy surrounding the Houston Police Department's suspension of thousands of sexual assault cases, We The People Organize has called for the resignation of Chief Troy Finner.

On Tuesday, founder Hai Bui released a statement, in which they stated, "Houston, We have a problem! Who's running the Houston Police Department?"

Chief Troy Finner previously said several sexual assault cases were suspended due to a "lack of personnel" and 4,017 cases were suspended dating back to 2016.

SUGGESTED: HPD says over 260,000 criminal cases were suspended due to 'lack of personnel' over 8 years

However, on Monday afternoon, Houston police released a new statement saying a department-wide investigation led to the discovery of 264,000 criminal cases since 2016 were suspended with the code "lack of personnel."

Sexual assault survivor Emily Tippet said HPD's colossal failure is a confirmation of the "indifference" she felt from law enforcement after seeking accountability.

"It was almost exponentially traumatizing to not only experience that and to know that this is the right thing to do is to report and then to be treated as if you didn't matter, none of it mattered. For me and other women I have spoken to, they were immediately disappointed and that was a sense of betrayal," said Tippit.

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You can read the full statement from We The People Organize below.

HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM! WHO'S RUNNING THE HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT? Who created and approved a Code that allowed officers not to investigate crime?

Questions are mounting regarding the mishandling of 264,000 suspended cases, including sexual assault and felony cases using the Code "Lack of Personnel" within the Houston Police Department (HPD), since 2016. The spotlight falls on the existence and approval of the practice of using the Code that purportedly exempted officers from their duty to investigate crimes in several divisions. 

Chief Troy Finner has repeatedly stated he never signed off on the practice of using the Code "Lack of Personnel" to suspend the investigation of cases and that he ordered officers in special victims division to stop using the Code years ago. Yet it appears Chief Finner failed to issue a Department Circular prohibiting such a Code that should have been distributed throughout the department in every division. The absence of an official Department Circular to formally abolish the Code raises concerns. The lack of such communication throughout every division of HPD suggests a lack of leadership and incompetence that have brought embarrassment and disgrace on the department that potentially will cause low morale within the department. 

Why didn't Chief Finner bring these issues to the attention of the Mayor and City Council to seek additional staffing to investigate these cases in 2016? Chief Finner initially stated that HPD was reviewing more than 4,000 cases that were suspended using the code, now, according to news reports 2,000 to 264,000 were suspended under Finner using the Code. 

This issue goes beyond internal policy; it is a matter of public safety that potentially left victims vulnerable to their aggressors. It raises significant questions:

  • What has happened to the commitment to protect and serve Houstonians?
  • Where is the integrity and transparency that the community expects?
  • What happened to the millions of dollars in federal grants HPD received to hire officers within the last 5-10 years? 
  • Have these grants money been quietly reallocated without public knowledge? 

This situation should not be dismissed as a mere oversight. It points to a deeper problem of poor leadership, incompetence, laziness, dereliction of duty, recklessness, dangerous, and a total disregard for the safety and well-being for the sexual assault victims and other crime victims.

We the People Organize are calling for an outside independent Investigation and Oversight of the Houston Police Department's misconduct. We are requesting an audit on how the millions of dollars in federal grants HPD received to hire officers was spent within the last 5-10 years, including $10 million Sep 2010, $6 million Nov 2021, $6.25 million Nov 2023, $3.125 million Oct 2014, $4.9 million September 2011 and an additional $9.9 million December 2011, and $6.2 million Nov 2020, Covid 19 funds to expand HPD domestic abuse teams, but not limited to. 

The mishandling of victims’ cases has tarnished HPD’s reputation, eroding the trust and confidence of the public and dedicated officers, especially patrol officers place in their leader.

It is our firm belief that Chief Finner must step down from his role as Chief of the Houston Police Department. Such a change is crucial for HPD to begin the essential process of rebuilding trust with the citizens of Houston and to build morale with officers in the police department."