HPD code on suspended incident reports 'should have never been used,' Chief Troy Finner says
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Houston police Chief Troy Finner said Thursday morning that additional investigators and supervisors are now reviewing incident reports after it was discovered more than a quarter of a million of those reports were suspended due to a lack of personnel.
Finner began by apologizing to victims, families, and citizens for the department's use of the code "suspended - lack of personnel" for sexual assault incidents and other violent crimes.
"This is not the trauma-informed, victim-centric services they deserved," Finner said, adding that the code should have never been used and won't be again.
The chief also noted that he issued a directive as far back as November 2021 to stop using the code, but despite that order, 4,017 adult sex crime incident reports were filed with that code since 2016.
Finner explained that an expanded review of the Houston Police Department divisions using the "suspended - lack of personnel" code led to the discovery that 264,000 reports were labeled that way. However, he clarified that the number refers to incident reports and not the number of investigated cases.
"For example, if someone breaks into your car, there's no evidence. No video. That incident report will not be assigned to an investigator," the chief explained. "We're seeing a lot of incidents in the system like that. Also, not every incident report alleges a crime has been committed. Some reports were filed for civil and insurance matters."
He maintained that the code should have never been assigned to sexual and violent crimes.
In addition, the adult sex incidents for the statute of limitations dating back to 2016 shouldn't expire because the statute for sexual assaults lasts at least 10 years, according to Finner.
The major assaults division makes up about 109,000 of those 264,000 incident reports, Finner said, while property and financial crimes make up 91,000 incident reports.
WATCH: HPD Chief Troy Finner addresses police department's mishandling of suspended cases
Another 6,537 were assigned to homicide. Some people, he added, also filed multiple reports.
As of last Thursday, the department has sent more than 100 officers to try to find victims at their last known address.
An additional 32 investigators and supervisors are reviewing incident reports, attempting to contact victims, and scheduling follow-up interviews if needed. Finner said that 133 interviews have been scheduled so far with victims.
Victims who may have moved or need to update their contact information should contact HPD by calling 713-308-1180 or by email.
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In addressing the ongoing issue on Thursday, Finner said part of the department's review will include properly labeling and coding the reports, considering the mistitling that's occurred so far.
"What has happened is unacceptable, and I am committed as chief to making sure that we fix it," he said, explaining that the code at the center of this investigation was used in the two prior administrations before he became chief in 2021.
Finner also pointed to staffing issues, saying that the department needs an additional 2,000 officers to properly patrol streets and investigations.
HPD's current record management system, which houses all of its reports and data, is also a problem as it's at the end of its life cycle, Finner told members of the media.
Calling it "outdated," Finner said the system could crash if they try to remove the code, which is hardwired into it. A new system is expected in 2025 after the council approved funding for it, he said.
The review is expected to take months, but HPD won't be the only one looking into it.
A day earlier, Mayor John Whitmire announced an independent panel will review the department's handling of the suspended reports.
READ MORE: Houston Mayor Whitmire announces independent panel to review HPD's suspended cases
The mayor did not immediately say who would serve on the panel but told ABC13 that an announcement would be released in the coming days. The fluid timeline has frustrated victims and victim advocates Eyewitness News has heard from.
"Don't give up hope. Bug them. Let them know you still want to be a part of your case. You want justice done for what was done to you," Amy Smith with the Harris County Domestic Violence Council said.
HPD was asked how cases get coded.
According to officials, a report comes in and goes to case management, where it's placed under review. It's then routed to its respective unit, for example, special victims or child sex abuse. It's then reviewed by a supervisor, who determines the priority level. The case is assigned to an investigator for a follow-up investigation. From there, the investigation is supposed to be conducted, and what happens next depends on the outcome, such as if it goes to a grand jury or if authorities have run out of leads. If there's an arrest, a case might be cleared and marked "arrest made."
RELATED: Houston Mayor Whitmire has 'full confidence in the chief' after 260K cases found to be suspended
"It's a very serious matter, and it is shocking to me. Someone who works in criminal justice - for the last 30 years, chair of a committee in Austin, and I can't believe there wasn't some police officer or some administrator to sound the alarm about what's going on over there," Whitmire said.
ABC13 learned assistant chiefs Kevin Deese and Ernest Garcia were demoted over the failure. Assistant chiefs are in charge of signing off on changes to the Houston police handbook, which, as of last week, still contained the code allowing cases to go to the wayside.
Police would not say if Deese and Garcia had a hand in approving the handbook or what position they were demoted to.
"I want the survivors, their family members, our community to know that we're going to fix this," Finner said. "We made a lot of progress in just a few weeks, and the most important thing, through pain, comes improvement, and through our pain, the department, the chief, everyone, we're going to fix this problem, and we're going to be a better department moving forward."
RELATED: Code still in Houston police handbook despite Chief Finner asking for its removal 2 years ago
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