(NewsNation) — The Houston Police Department is retroactively investigating more than 264,000 reports that were suspended under an administrative code citing staffing shortages.
The cases include more than 4,000 adult sex crime reports, 109,000 major assault cases and 6,500 homicide cases. Each was suspended under the same “lack of personnel” code over at least eight years, Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said at a Thursday news conference.
Sexual assault and homicide reports could be especially challenging for police to investigate without evidence that is often time-sensitive, trial attorney and legal analyst Misty Marris told NewsNation’s Hena Doba on “Morning in America.”
“The problem is that some of these cases could never even make their way into the courtroom,” Marris said.
Investigators had reviewed 3,010 of the 4,017 adult sex crime reports and scheduled 133 follow-up interviews as of Thursday morning, Finner said. The cases date back to 2016, meaning the department is up against a 10-year statute of limitations that could run out by 2026.
“We don’t have all the answers today,” Finner said during last week’s news conference. “A review of this magnitude will take months.”
Finner stepped into his role in April 2021 and first learned about the code that November, he said. It was created in 2016 and used under two previous administrations.
“At that time, I told them the code was unacceptable and never to use it again,” Finner told reporters.
Years passed and on Feb. 7, 2024, Finner learned “a significant number” of adult sex crime incident reports were continually filed under the lack of personnel code, prompting an internal review, which the chief announced on Feb. 22.
Victims could potentially seek recourse through civil litigation, but legal protections afforded to officers could be a roadblock, Marris said.
An independent third-party review is also underway.
“There’s immunity,” she said. “There are all these issues relating to jurisdiction in Houston, so whether or not they actually get some recourse is questionable.”
Although Finner condemned the use of the lack-of-personnel code, he confirmed that staffing shortages have hindered the department.
“It’s no secret that we’re drastically understaffed,” he said. “Currently, we have less than 5200 officers…We need an additional 2000 officers to properly patrol our streets and conduct investigations in this city.”
The police chief also called for additional funding for crime labs, and pre-trail detainment of people suspected of committing violent crimes.
As for the administrative code, Finner said it’s “hardwired” to the department’s outdated computer system and deleting it could cause a system-wide crash. New technology is expected to be in place by next year.
Anyone who believes they may have been impacted by the case suspensions is encouraged to call the Houston Police Department specialvictimsreport@houstonpolice.org or call 713-308-1180 and provide their updated contact information.
