HOUSTON — Houston Mayor John Whitmire on Wednesday called for an independent review into the Houston Police Department.
This comes after HPD announced it was going to review thousands of sexual assault cases that had been suspended due to a department code.
The mayor said he wants to create an outside review of what caused the cases to be suspended. The review would be conducted by a panel of experts, who the mayor said on Thursday would be announced in the coming days. There is also an internal investigation underway into HPD at all levels, including Chief Troy Finner.
"I trust and believe Police Chief Troy Finner is doing the best he can to manage the internal investigation, get to the bottom of it, and hold people accountable," Whitmire said. "The independent panel will be people I also trust to review and validate the outcome and help bring closure to the victims."
Now, Mayor Whitmire said people involved will be held accountable and that he, as mayor, will be held accountable as well. He said the system of classifying cases as suspended due to a lack of personnel was created by an assistant chief. That assistant chief is no longer with the department.
The mayor said he is shocked that this has gone on for so long and said he cannot believe that it was never mentioned to him. He noted that he had done a number of ride-alongs with former Chief Art Acevedo throughout the years during his time as a state senator.
"I am deeply concerned about how and why this happened. The public wants answers and accountability. This process of appointing an independent panel will validate the investigation's integrity," Whitmire said.
Finner responded on X, formerly Twitter, saying he welcomes an independent review into what happened. The chief said he intends to hold a news conference at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, March 7, to give an update on the internal investigation into what happened.
Read the chief's full response below:
"I welcome and support Mayor Whitmire's decision to establish an independent third party to review the Houston Police Department's handling of the 264,000 incident reports 'suspended - lack of personnel.'
"The Mayor and I have spoken almost daily about this matter and I appreciate his continued support of HPD and my administration.
"Today's announcement by the Mayor is a vital part of the transparency and accountability I have been promising since announcing this review process on February 16.
"I will have a news conference at 11:30 a.m. tomorrow (Thursday) to provide an update on our internal review process, our efforts to contact victims and what comes next."