HOUSTON — People can now track the Houston Police Department’s progress in tackling cases that were suspended because of the use of a controversial code.
Houston Police Chief J. Noe Diaz announced the launch of the dashboard during the Houston City Council’s Public Safety Committee meeting on Tuesday.
“The community can go up there and see where the cases are, how they're being worked and where we are as a metric compared to where we were at the beginning of the investigation,” Diaz said.
The dashboard is part of an effort by the department to boost transparency, after the use of the ‘suspended – lack of personnel’ code led to more than 260,000 incident reports being closed.
The controversy led to the firing of former Houston Police Chief Troy Finner in May.
Diaz said the department continues to make progress, but issues of staffing shortages -- which instigated the use of the controversial code -- remain.
The city has worked to address those concerns with Houston City Council approving funds for an additional cadet class for the department. Mayor John Whitmire announced Monday that cadets will get a $10,000 raise in their compensation.
The staffing issue is also impacting the Houston Fire Department.
This week, HFD announced the launch of a reemployment program to address its own staffing issues. The program targets former HFD classified members who have been separated from the department within the previous five years.
Information on the reemployment program can be found here.