No update on number of victims with suspended reports contacted, Houston Police Department says
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Emanuel Andrews said he was shocked when he was getting a massage in Houston last year, and the worker groped him.
Since the incident last September, Andrews said he called the Houston Police Department multiple times for updates but never got an answer on where his case stood.
"Some of us, like myself, have done the heavy work. The work that I expected they would have done," Andrews said. "I hope they're able to get their stuff together because there's a lot of people that their situation may be way worse off than even mine, and mine's pretty bad."
13 Investigates asked HPD about Andrews' case on Friday and how many victims investigators have been able to reach, but we didn't get an answer.
An HPD spokesperson said it is a "fluid" situation, and the department has "nothing to add" right now. He told 13 Investigates that HPD would provide updates whenever they were ready.
ABC13 does not typically identify victims of sex-related crimes, but Andrews wanted to share his story.
Any victims whose contact information has changed since the time of their report can call (713) 308-1180 or email specialvictimsreport@houstonpolice.org.
Andrews' case is one of 4,017 adult sex crime incident reports that were wrongfully assigned the "lack of personnel" status.
His case was listed as an indecent assault with a sexual component, according to HPD, who said all adult sex crime victims would be prioritized as they revisit suspended cases.
In addition to sex crime cases, last month, HPD Police Chief Troy Finner said he identified more than 260,000 incident reports across all crime categories that have been suspended due to "lack of personnel" since 2016. That accounts for one in every 10 incident reports over the last eight years.
RELATED: 13 Investigates timeline: HPD's 'suspended' code was an issue in 2014
Finner, appointed police chief in April 2021, said he told staff to stop assigning incident reports to the "suspended - lack of personnel" code when he first learned about it in November 2021.
Last month, Finner said he learned the code was still being used despite his instructions.
"I immediately ordered a review of those cases. That code was put into effect in 2016. It will not be used again in my administration. It was unacceptable then. It is unacceptable now," Finner said in a February news conference.
On Monday, 13 Investigates spoke with Chelsea Watkins, who said she was ringing in the new year at a local dive bar when a man put his hand in her pants and reached inside her underwear.
She reported it to HPD on Jan. 1, 2023, but said she never heard back from the department.
"They should be proactively following up on cases with the victims to make sure that they're okay after an incident occurs. I mean, there just needs to be better advocating for the victims of crimes in this area," Watkins said earlier this week.
HPD told us they would reach out to Watkins on Monday or Tuesday.
On Tuesday, HPD thanked 13 Investigates' Kevin Ozebek and ABC13 Houston for assisting them, adding that the department attempted to reach out to Watkins.
"Investigators are actively reviewing all suspended incident reports. If you have not received a call or visit, the process remains ongoing. We will continue to work diligently to review every report. For questions regarding your suspended incident or to update your contact information specialvictimsreport@houstonpolice.org or call 713-308-1180," HPD said in a social media post on Tuesday.
Finner has held just two news conferences to announce and provide an update on the suspended cases.
Two assistant chiefs have been demoted. Houston Mayor John Whitmire appointed an "independent" panel, and HPD is conducting an internal affairs investigation.
As 13 Investigates continues looking into HPD's past and recent communications about the suspended code, we've filed numerous open records requests with the department.
HPD released a spreadsheet of 260,000 incident report numbers and offenses that were suspended due to a lack of personnel, also referred to as an SL code. The department did not release the names of the individuals who assigned the cases the "SL" code despite our request for it.
Also, 18 of our requests have been sent to the Texas Attorney General, who will rule whether or not the information we asked for has to be released or can be withheld.
One of 13 Investigates' requests for memos and presentations related to the lack of personnel code was sent to the AG, with HPD arguing it's part of an "open investigation being conducted by HPD's Internal Affairs Division of alleged improper police procedure."
HPD also argues some of the requested information was "draft verbiage of an incomplete memorandum of understanding" and "consists entirely of interagency correspondence concerning the policy matter at issue and was never intended for public release."
Any victims whose contact information has changed since the time of their report can call (713) 308-1180 or email specialvictimsreport@houstonpolice.org.
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