Troy Finner out as Houston police chief amid suspended cases scandal

Troy Finner, who served as the chief of police in Houston for the past three years, has stepped down amidst concerns regarding his knowledge of a code that suspended over 260,000 cases earlier than previously indicated to the public.

An email from Mayor John Whitmire, obtained by Eyewitness News, notified Houston Police Department employees of the leadership change. Executive Assistant Chief Larry Satterwhite has been appointed as the acting police chief, according to the email.

Mayor Whitmire’s email stated that Finner’s retirement was accepted, effective at 10:31 p.m. on Tuesday.

“While this decision comes with full confidence in Acting Chief Satterwhite’s abilities to lead and uphold the high standards of our department,” the email read.

Finner was appointed by former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner in March 2021 to oversee the city’s police department, which comprises more than 5,300 officers and 1,200 civilian support staff.

The issue arose when it was revealed that thousands of sexual assault investigations had been suspended due to a lack of personnel, indicated by a code “SL.” Finner disclosed that over 264,000 investigations had been suspended since 2016 for the same reason.

Questions were raised about when Finner became aware of the suspended cases and his actions to address them. A 2018 email surfaced, casting doubt on Finner’s assertion that he learned of the code in November 2021. The email, dated July 20, 2018, addressed to high-ranking HPD leaders, including Finner, mentioned a specific case marked “Suspended-Lack of Personnel.” Finner responded to the email, expressing it as “unacceptable” and requesting further investigation.

Following this revelation, Finner stated that he had no recollection of the email until recently.

The specifics behind Finner’s dismissal were not detailed in the email to HPD staffers on Tuesday night.

As of late Tuesday, neither Finner nor Mayor Whitmire has issued statements regarding the leadership change.

Victims whose contact information has changed since their report can reach out to (713) 308-1180 or email specialvictimsreport@houstonpolice.org.