HOUSTON – Houston Mayor John Whitmire expressed his faith in Chief Troy Finner Wednesday evening, while also raising concerns about the resources allocated to an investigation into suspending over 260,000 criminal cases by the Houston Police Department.
This includes more than 4,000 sex assault cases.
KPRC Investigates Reporter Mario Diaz discovered that Chief Finner was aware of the practice in 2021, but only recently started investigating the issue.
On Wednesday, while speaking with Mario, Whitmire emphasized that the impact of these shocking revelations extends beyond the citizens of Houston and affects the morale of police officers.
“When you start shifting 30, 40, 50 people for a project of this size and magnitude, it’s involving personnel that I think would like to be out working the streets of Houston,” the Mayor said.
WATCH: HPD Chief says he about sexual assaults not being investigated for years
HPD said the cases that were suspended include serious crimes such as sexual assaults, gangs, assaults, family violence, and vehicular crimes is a matter of great concern for all Houstonians.
“It affects the police officers morale. Let’s try that one on for a second. Our police officers put their lives on the line by apprehending people, and then they see how this is investigated or the lack of investigation. So yes, I’m alarmed like all Houstonians should be,” Whitmire added.
Mario also spoke with several city council members about the ongoing investigations, including Carolyn Evans-Shabazz and Ed Pollard, who also expressed their dissatisfaction with the handling of this issue.
They called for appropriate action to address the situation and rectify the mistakes.
“I do have a problem with the fact that this has not been addressed appropriately,” Evans-Shabazz said.
Several other council members declined to weigh in on the scandal.
SEE MORE:
TIMELINE: Houston Police Department’s mishandling of sexual assault cases