HOUSTON – Houston Police Chief Troy Finner held a news conference Thursday after KPRC 2 Investigates learned thousands of sex assault cases in our area are not being investigated.
The Houston Police Department’s Union told KPRC 2 Investigates Monday they have learned of nearly 2,000 sexual assault cases not being investigated.
During the news conference, it was learned at least 4,017 sexual assault cases have not been investigated.
The comments came after HPD Chief Troy Finner posted an after-business-hours social media post on Friday night informing Houstonians that a “significant number” of sexual assault investigations were “suspended” and not being investigated.
Now, six days after Chief Finner revealed to Houstonians that the fourth largest city in the nation has seen a significant number of sex assault cases kicked to the curb even though they were incomplete, he finally spoke out.
“It’s a dark day,” he said. “In 34 years, I’ve been through a lot, we’ve been through a lot. I don’t want to say its the darkest day, we’ve had dark days here, OK, it’s another. All departments, if you’ve been around enough time, there going to go through different things.”
KPRC 2 Investigates has attempted to interview Chief Finner for several days prior to the news conference, but he did not return phone calls.
The reason for not investigating sexual assault cases, according to Finner, is a “lack of personnel”. Since Finner did not provide answers prior to Thursday as to how all of this happened under his watch, KPRC 2 Investigates spoke with multiple members of law enforcement on Tuesday.
Two former detectives (one HPD), as well as a former chief of the NYPD who has been involved in some of New York City’s biggest cases, including sexual assaults. All were dismayed as to how sex assault case investigations were “suspended” within HPD.
“This is the most disturbing thing I’ve heard in all of my years of law enforcement!” The former chief said. “Not working sexual assault cases for victims is disastrous.“
KPRC 2 Investigates shared those comments with one high-ranking HPD official and their response was simply, “I agree with him.”
Following Thursday’s news conference, KPRC 2 Investigates reaches out to Mayor John Whitmire’s office for comment to all of the revelations provided by Chief Finner during his news conference. We also asked the mayor and his team directly as to why women and Houstonians should trust Finner as HPD Chief considering what he told Houstonians on Thursday.
The mayor’s office has yet to comment to that direct question.