Houston Mayor John Whitmire replaced Police Chief Troy Finner in response to ongoing scrutiny over hundreds of thousands of uninvestigated cases, including over 4,000 sexual assault allegations. Finner had revealed that incident reports had not been submitted for investigation and internal codes were used to dismiss cases due to a lack of personnel. Whitmire accepted Finner’s retirement to allow the police department to move forward under new leadership. The mayor’s trust in Finner waned after reports that Finner had been aware of the dismissed incident reports in a 2018 email, prompting Whitmire to appoint Assistant Chief Larry Satterwhite as acting chief.
Finner acknowledged the challenging and painful last few months of his career but expressed his belief that measures have been implemented to prevent such incidents from reoccurring in the future. Satterwhite, who has been with the police department for 34 years, faced questions about his knowledge of the incident reports being dismissed due to a lack of personnel. While he briefly attended a meeting where Finner had instructed his command staff to stop using the internal code, Satterwhite only learned of the magnitude of the problem later on. Despite the difficult circumstances surrounding Finner’s retirement, Satterwhite vowed to do his best to improve the situation.
The use of the internal code to dismiss incident reports prompted an independent review by an external panel ordered by Whitmire. Finner had apologized for the use of the code and pledged transparency throughout the investigation. The revelation of a 2018 email showing Finner was informed about the dismissed reports further strained his position. City council members expressed their gratitude for Finner’s contributions to the community’s safety and wellbeing during his tenure as chief. The Houston Area Women’s Center, which supports victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, refrained from commenting on Finner’s retirement but had previously highlighted the impact on survivors when investigations are not adequately resolved.
Police departments nationwide are facing staffing challenges as younger officers resign and older officers retire, leading to a decline in applications to fill vacancies. The Police Executive Research Forum reported that while small and medium agencies have more sworn officers than in January 2020, larger agencies still have a staffing deficit. This staffing crisis has coincided with a broader national conversation on policing practices, particularly in response to minority communities. Despite these challenges, efforts are being made at both local and national levels to address staffing shortages and improve the effectiveness of law enforcement agencies.
