HOUSTON – The Houston police officer who was suspended after an Instagram video surfaced showing her using racist slurs is still receiving pay while the department’s Internal Affairs investigation continues.
Houston Police Officers Union President Doug Griffith told KPRC 2 News Officer Ashley Gonzalez is scheduled to meet with Houston Police Chief J. Noe Diaz on Friday.
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According to Griffith, the chief can decide to keep Gonzalez on relieved-of-duty status or terminate her employment.
OUR FIRST REPORT: ‘Extremely disturbed’: Houston Police Department officer relieved of duty after racist rant goes viral on social media
Video draws outrage
The video, shared to Instagram “Close Friends” and screen-recorded, appears to show Gonzalez ranting about Black people and using racial slurs.
In one portion of the clip, the officer is heard saying she hated people, and in another, she references her interactions with Black people during 911 calls.
She also made references to slavery and said calling someone a racial slur made her feel like she was back in the Marines.
Officer off the job — but still paid
Gonzalez is currently relieved of duty but continues to receive pay, a police spokesperson confirmed, as the department reviews the matter.
Internal Affairs investigators are taking a closer look at the officer, described as a two-year veteran of the department who joined the ranks in January 2024.
A video on YouTube shows Gonzalez being pinned by former HPD Chief Troy Finner.
Gonzalez previously spent four years in the U.S. Marines, officials confirmed earlier this week.
“I am surprised that HPD’s background investigation and her academy training did not catch this before,” said Jim Willis, a private investigator and law enforcement officer of 33 years. “This young lady has tarnished the badge for many other officers.”
Griffith said Gonzalez will be represented by a union attorney during the meeting with the chief — standard practice — while also condemning the remarks in a statement on Monday as offensive and disturbing.
In a statement Thursday, Councilmember Amy Peck said in part: “I am confident that once the facts are fully established, the Chief will take swift and appropriate action.”
Willis said that given the attention the case has garnered, Gonzalez’s law enforcement career in Texas “is done.”
Calls to review cases she worked
A spokesperson for the Harris County District Attorney’s Office tells KPRC 2 News that, at this point, the video has not prompted a review of Gonzalez’s arrests that led to charges.
However, Houston City Councilmember Alejandra Salinas is calling for HPD to examine whether any prior arrest, report, or testimony involving Gonzalez may have been impacted by racial bias.
“There is no place for this kind of racism in our city or in law enforcement, and we must not tolerate it,” Salinas wrote in a statement.
Brent Mayr, president of the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association, said the department should review every case the officer “touched,” emphasizing that the video appears to refer to Gonzalez’s work as an officer — not a personal dispute.
“This wasn’t just someone engaged in a racial diatribe... I mean, she is talking about her interactions with African American suspects that she’s interacting with as a police officer. That is extremely concerning.”
Mayr said the statements made in the video and Gonzalez’s apparent “racist attitude... could really impact whether an innocent person is actually innocent or not.”
Based on Willis’ understanding of the internal affairs process, he said investigators are likely looking at her prior calls for service that involved arrests of Black men and women to “document and verify those arrests were valid.”
What happens if HPD and the officer separate
Law enforcement officials told KPRC 2 News that if Gonzalez and HPD separate, the department would be required to submit its internal investigation findings to TCOLE, the state law enforcement licensing agency.
Those findings would be available to other agencies that may consider hiring her.
Without a criminal conviction, law enforcement contacts said the bar is relatively high for Gonzalez’s Texas peace officer license to be revoked.