Community leaders, organizations react to former HPD Chief Troy Finner’s retirement

HOUSTON – In a surprising turn of events, Houston Mayor John Whitmire on Tuesday night, shortly before 11 p.m., announced the retirement of Houston Police Department Chief Troy Finner.

• Mayor John Whitmire announces retirement of Houston Police Chief Troy Finner amid suspended cases scandal

The abrupt announcement came as a surprise to many, as the department is currently under scrutiny for thousands of incident reports, including sexual assaults, that were suspended due to a “lack of personnel.”

Since discovering the suspended cases in February, several new developments have occurred, including an email that shows Finner could have known about the “SL” code dating back in 2018.

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After KPRC 2 Investigates reporter Mario Diaz, who has been monitoring the developments of the investigation since the beginning, showed Finner an email from 2018 indicating he knew about the suspended cases, the former top cop took to Twitter hours before announcing his retirement to respond:

An investigation by the department’s Internal Affairs Division is in its final stages.

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Several Houston area leaders and organizations have since spoken out about Finner’s retirement:

Harris County Precinct 4 - Chief Troy Finner has always treated the men,women, and citizens of Precinct 4 with the utmost respect .

He has always lead his agency from the front and stayed in the trenches fighting crime with all law enforcement . We wish him the best in his retirement and will support him going forward.

Council Member Julian Ramirez - “I want to thank HPD Chief Troy Finner for his 34 years of service to the City of Houston. In the many years I’ve known him, he has always conducted himself with professionalism and courtesy. His steady demeanor has been a model for others to follow. I want to personally thank him for the kindness he has shown me over the years. I wish him the best in retirement and know that he will continue to serve this city that we both love.

I also want to express my gratitude to Acting Chief Larry Satterwhite for his willingness to help lead the department through its challenges. I believe Chief Satterwhite, who I have known for a long time, has the knowledge and experience to provide a steady hand as we move forward. During my time as Houston City Council Member, At-Large Position 1, Chief Satterwhite has been a help and a resource as I have worked on public safety issues. I look forward to continuing to work with him to help make Houston safer. "