HOUSTON – Mayor John Whitmire formally introduced former Texas Ranger J. Noe Diaz as the next Chief of Police for the Houston Police Department.
The mayor thanked interim Police Chief Larry Satterwhite for his service, and announced he will take over the Mayor’s Office of Public Safety and Homeland Security.
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Former Police Chief Troy Finner announced his retirement in May amid an ongoing internal investigation into more than 264,000 incident reports, including more than 4,000 sexual assault reports, being suspended due to a “lack of personnel.”
When searching for a permanent replacement for former Chief Finner, Whitmire said he wanted someone experienced in public service, who shared his vision for Houston.
“I talked to chiefs around the state, legislators, council members, and they kept taking me back to Noe Diaz,” Whitmire said.
Diaz brings 23 years of experience in law enforcement to his new role, including 11 years as a Texas Ranger. Diaz is currently the Police Chief in the City of Katy.
He also has existing partnerships with multiple agencies, and has worked with HPD on task forces across the Houston.
Diaz thanked Whitmire for this opportunity, and said he believes in his vision for a safer Houston.
“I’m a servant leader. I think of you before myself,” Diaz said.
When asked by KPRC 2 Investigates Mario Diaz about the suspended cases, Diaz said he will let the process play out.
“I know the mayor’s assembled a fine group of people to look at it and no one here is going to hide anything. We’re going to own it. We’re going to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” Diaz said.
Whitmire called this a fresh start for the department, vowed transparency, and said Diaz will get the job done.
“The best is in front of us for HPD,” Whitmire said.
