HOUSTON – Houston Police Chief Troy Finner addresses the number of adult sexual assault cases that he says were suspended “due to lack of personnel.”
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On Friday, Feb. 16, the Houston Police Department Police Chief called the situation “unacceptable,” and said he was permanently assigning investigators to review the suspended cases.
“Sexual assaults are some of the most traumatic crimes for victims and their families. To address this matter, I have assigned a team of investigators to review those cases coded “Suspended - Lack of Personnel.” Furthermore, I am permanently assigning additional investigators to the Special Victims Division to prevent this from recurring,” Finner said.
HPD Chief @TroyFinner's Statement on Internal Review of Adult Sex Crime Investigations: pic.twitter.com/AjC4aU1HLY
— Houston Police (@houstonpolice) February 17, 2024
HPD’s investigation comes after the Harris County Sexual Assault Response Team released its numbers last month, shedding light on the delayed response time that they blamed on a lack of resources.
According to the report, from 2022 to Aug. 31, 2023, HPD received 1,519 reports of sexual assault, and of those, 1,328 (87%) were investigated.
In 2022, HCSO received 1,107 sexual offense-related reports, and of those, 169 cases were investigated. Of those investigated, 77 cases resulted in criminal charges. Of the 1,107, the county said 479 of those cases were either administratively closed, closed due to the complainant not cooperating, closed due to lack of prosecution, or closed due to not meeting the elements of the crime.
And in 2021, 3,779 sexual assaults were reported in Harris County. However, according to the report, this only represents a fraction of the actual instances of sexual assault, as less than 1 out of 10 survivors choose to report the crime to law enforcement. This discrepancy underscores the fear and skepticism that survivors often face when considering reporting their experiences.
In the entire state, 14,972 rapes were reported to law enforcement in 2021.
And in a 2015 Texas Statewide Prevalence Study on Sexual Assault, it was revealed that approximately 6.3 million women and men in Texas, or 1/3 of adult Texans, experienced some form of sexual assault in their lifetime.
The national landscape shows an American being sexually assaulted every 68 seconds.
In cases of rape, 8 out of 10 victims know their perpetrators, according to Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN).
Unfortunately, the justice system is known for often failing survivors. According to RAINN, out of every 100 rapists, only three face any consequences for their actions, with 97 rapists escaping incarceration.
The Houston Area Women’s Center (HAWC) said it’s working to provide support to survivors. In 2022, HAWC’s Sexual Assault Hotline fielded 6,436 calls for help, and 311 survivors received accompaniment to the hospital. Additionally, the organization provided 9,498 essential services to sexual assault survivors, demonstrating the critical need for comprehensive assistance and advocacy.