HOUSTON – Wednesday morning, the Houston Police Department presented a report before Houston City Council on the controversial code that suspended more than 260,000 cases.
“Suspended - Lack of Personnel (SL)” was the code used to designate cases as suspended in the HPD’s record management system.
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HPD acting Police Chief Larry Satterwhite presented the 43-page report, titled “Use of the SL Code: A Report of Findings,” at around 9 a.m. Wednesday.
KPRC 2 Investigates has reported on the investigation since details first emerged in February. In March, Houston Mayor John Whitmire appointed an independent committee to investigate the suspended cases. In May then-Police Chief Troy Finner resigned.
Here are some key findings:
The origins of the code: HPD created the SL code back in 2016, with the purpose of organizing cases that were not being investigated due to inadequate personnel in the department. The department has called for additional staffing in past years, which included former Police Chief Charles A. McClelland, Jr. bringing a formal request before Houston City Council in 2014. HPD says its investigative staffing capacity has not changed significantly in the decade since that request.
The total number of cases with the SL label: In the nearly eight years between the SL code’s creation in 2016 and the discovery of its magnitude in 2024, it was used for 264,371 total incidents. More than 98% of these cases were associated with incidents occurring since January 1, 2018.
How structural failures within the department allowed the issue to snowball: Systemic failures within the HPD allowed the SL code to not only exist but become frequently implemented. Firstly, the department suffered significant turnover, including waves of retirements and personnel transfers. Secondly, there was a lack of oversight for the Record Management System—or RMS—which was used to assign cases with the SL label.
Divisions were trained “how” rather than “why”: All investigative divisions were trained on how to use the SL code through multiple hour-long training sessions in 2016, but each division was left to determine its own individual guidelines for when the code was acceptable to use, and there were no written parameters for the code’s applicability to various crimes. For example, there were no department-wide distinction between property crimes and crimes against persons under the SL umbrella.
A need for situational hierarchy: Due to the high amount of crime across Houston and the staff constraints HPD must work around, the department emphasized a need to prioritize certain investigations, with person-on-person crimes being named the highest priority.
Here is how the department reacted:
New quality control process: The department is still working to review the 264,371 cases while containing its regular duties. To tackle this massive project, HPD has implemented a quality assurance/quality control (QAQC) process. As of the release of the report, 2,540 cases have been reviewed, with sexual assault and family violence cases holding the highest priority. 62% of those cases required no additional follow-up.
Case management trainings: The commander of the HPD Investigative Standards Committee is finalizing a training on case management for all staff members working on investigations. The training hopes to ensure proper coding and prioritization of cases. The goal is to implement the training during the 2024-25 training cycle, with new personnel able to take the course within 90 days of assignment.
A new RMS: City Council has authorized the purchase of a newer, more current management system, which is slated to be active by March of 2025. With the implementation of the new program, the department wants leadership to have a “strong managerial awareness and oversight of the case management process.”
Staffing shortages: HPD acknowledged that the staffing shortages it faces may never be fully addressed. To combat this issue, leadership must regularly review staffing allocations to make sure resources are being used in the most efficient manner.