The Houston Police Officers Union is calling for HPD Chief Troy Finner to step aside in the investigation of a scandal involving suspended sexual assault cases. This development is part of an ongoing probe into HPD's handling of over 4,000 cases that were suspended, as reported by KPRC 2 Investigates. The Union's letter addressed to Mayor John Whitmire raises questions about Finner's ability to impartially oversee the disciplinary proceedings while he himself is embroiled in the investigation.
After an official inquiry launched by Mayor Whitmire into HPD's inactive cases, the fallout has already seen two Assistant Chiefs knocked down a peg. Union Executive Director Ray Hunt conveyed his unease about Finner dispensing discipline during an investigation in which he is a central figure, "I think I probably could have completed this in two weeks but I’m not Internal Affairs,” Hunt said, according to KPRC 2. As the chief holds the reins on final disciplinary actions, concerns over fairness and conflict of interest sharpen.
Meanwhile, issues of transparency have been thrust into the spotlight with revelations about Houston's secretive police union contract negotiations. This comes in stark contrast to other cities like San Antonio and Austin where such negotiations are open for public scrutiny.“We are explicitly choosing to hide this process that not only controls how we respond when people are killed in Houston, but also controls hundreds of millions of dollars of our city spending,” community organizer Jaison Oliver remarked to Houston Public Media.
The opaque nature of these discussions also calls into question the role of City Councilmember Mary Nan Huffman, who concurrently serves as an attorney for the police officers’ union. Critics challenge her ability to vote without bias on police spending or union contracts. Huffman, however, plans to abstain from voting on the new police union contract to circumvent conflict of interest allegations, “(Michel) said, ‘I’ll be on the lookout for that, too. And we can kind of just talk back and forth, so if you see something on the agenda that you have concerns about, or I see something on the agenda that I have concerns about, we can talk about it and then you can decide whether or not it would be appropriate for you to vote or to recuse yourself,'” she assured Houston Public Media.
