An independent review panel has launched an investigation into the handling of more than a quarter-million suspended cases by the Houston Police Department (HPD), reports indicate. The panel, which convened for the first time on Wednesday, was put together by Houston Mayor John Whitmire and includes a selection of community figures, as reported by ABC13. Critics, however, including the Houston Police Officers' Union and some community activists, argue that the panel lacks genuine independence and that the members are too closely connected to the police department.
The committee consists of a former council member, a city attorney, an inspector general, a Texas Ranger, and a pastor, ABC13 reports. The union has expressed doubts, with its president Doug Griffith saying, "There is nothing even remote about this group being independent. We need a true independent organization and a group," Activist attorney Randall Kallinen echoed these concerns at a meeting the day before the panel convened.
Despite these reservations, the committee's chair, Ellen Cohen, appeared confident in its purpose and composition. "I think it's a very stellar panel, as you suggest, mayor, it represents a cross-section of the community, and I know that city council feels a strong obligation to make sure that this works as well as do we,” Cohen stated, according to KHOU. The mayor, for his part, has not imposed a specific deadline for the review's conclusion, leaving it to the committee's discretion.
Questions arose after revelations surfaced that HPD marked 264,000 cases as suspended since 2016 due to a reported lack of personnel, a practice which HPD Chief Troy Finner has indicated should never have occurred. The panel's tasks will include a comprehensive review of HPD's policies and practices, analysis of data, and interviews to determine where lapses in law enforcement actions may lie. They are expected to provide updates to the Office of the Mayor and the public on the progress and will issue a final report detailing findings and recommendations for proper review and investigation of incident reports received by HPD, according to ABC13.
