A quick look back at Troy Finner’s time as chief of the Houston Police Department

HOUSTON – The sudden departure of Troy Finner as chief of the Houston Police Department came as a surprise to many. Although he served as police chief for about three years, the Houston native was widely known as the leader of several major cases affecting the city.

On April 5, 2021, Finner was sworn in as Houston Police Chief, succeeding Art Acevedo, who went to Miami to serve as police chief.

“It’s time to get to work,” he said at the podium. “It’s time to get everyone involved in this fight.”

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In his three years as the City of Houston’s chief police officer, he has handled several major cases that have impacted the city. Months into his term, Finner said he first learned of the suspended cases – but the matter was effectively put on hold because the next day was the Astroworld Festival in November 2021.

The excitement surrounding fellow Houston native Travis Scott’s two-day festival quickly turned into panic, confusion and devastation. 10 young people died as a result of a crowd during Scott’s performance.

HPD investigated the tragedy for 19 months and submitted its findings to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, which then presented them to a grand jury, which chose not to indict six people, including Travis Scott.

As of this week, nine out of 10 wrongful death lawsuits filed after the festival have been settled. The pending lawsuit is that of the youngest victim, 9-year-old Ezra Blount – the judge overseeing the case has scheduled a hearing for next week.

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Fast forward to February 2024, when a child was seriously injured along with a man following a shooting at Lakewood Church. The shooter, Genesse Moreno, was killed.

According to investigators, she went to the church wearing a trench coat and a backpack and was carrying an assault rifle, according to officers. She could not enter the sanctuary because the doors were locked.

Days after the Lakewood shooting, it was announced that more than 200,000 incident reports were suspended due to a “staffing shortage.” More than 4,000 of these cases involved reports of sexual assault.

The department assembled a team to review all of these cases with the help of trauma-trained specialists. There were two separate investigations, as well as an internal affairs review and one by an independent panel appointed by the mayor.

And throughout that time, KPRC 2 Investigates kept track of the investigative process. Chief Finner’s sudden departure didn’t come with much of an explanation. However, he has made several changes in his short time, such as overseeing the purchase of body and dashboard cameras while also updating HPD policies.

Bodycam footage

In the updated policy, Finner added nearly 150 patrol units with dashboard cameras to increase transparency and accountability. The move came after half of the HPD patrol vehicles would not need the cameras. In addition, all patrol officers are equipped with body-worn cameras.

Earlier this year, Finner said HPD would enable a feature called “subsequent recording,” which allows body camera footage to be retrieved regardless of whether an officer turns it on.

Police chases

Finner also overhauled the department’s pursuit policy last year following a 26% increase in police chases. The change now requires officers to consider the performance of the fleeing vehicle.

Plus traffic conditions – the distance between the responding officers and the fleeing person and the likelihood that an involved vehicle could crash under the circumstances. Finner said the department has implemented unique training and tactics aimed at stopping pursuits before they start.

Decrease in violent crime*

Finner reported to the City Council last year that murders had fallen by more than 17 percent compared to the previous year.

Robbery, aggravated assault and human trafficking also saw significant double-digit percentage decreases.

However, Finner saw an increase in reported rape incidents during the same period.

Former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, who promoted Finner from lieutenant to chief, said his departure was a loss for the department and the city. Current Mayor John Whitmire also shared similar sentiments about Finner, noting that they were “close friends.”