Southwest
Over 260K Houston criminal cases suspended due to 'lack of personnel' code, police chief says
The Houston Police Department suspended over 260,000 criminal cases over the past eight years due to the department’s “lack of personnel” code, Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said on Monday.
Finner initially revealed last week that “lack of personnel” administratively suspended 4,017 cases of alleged sexual assault, but a closer examination by the department identified that the code expanded to all other divisions of the department, Finner said in an update on Monday.
Across the department, about 264,000 incident reports were suspended with the “lack of personnel” code since 2016 – or about 10% of the 2.8 million incident reports filed with the Houston Police Department over the past eight years, Finner said in a statement.
Of the 264,000 reports, the chief said that about 100,000 are property crimes.
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Houston Police Department Chief Troy Finner on Monday said that the number of cases that were suspended due to a “lack of personnel” code expanded to over 264,000 cases department-wide. (Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images, File)
Finner said that police are stepping up efforts to review sexual assault incident reports and contact potential victims and are moving additional personnel to other investigative divisions to address any incident reports involving crimes against another person.
Finner said last week that he first became aware that a lack of manpower was suspending some sexual assault cases in 2021 and had ordered the department to stop using the code, FOX26 Houston reported. It appeared, however, that the code was still used department-wide despite the order, the chief said.
Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said that the department is reviewing all effected cases of sexual assault and working to contact potential victims. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images, File)
“Am I proud about this? No, I’m angry, okay, because I know we are better, and we are going to make it right, and we will make it right,” Finner told reporters last week, adding that the department is still short of staff.
Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said last week that he first became aware that a lack of manpower was suspending some sexual assault cases in 2021. He ordered the practice stopped at the time, though it appeared to continue across the department. (Houston Police Department)
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Following Monday’s revelation, Houston Mayor John Whitmire expressed his concern about the investigation into the department’s backlogged cases.
“I am very concerned. It is unacceptable, and I have instructed Chief Finner to be transparent and continue his review as a top priority,” the mayor said. “Public safety continues to be my highest priority.”
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Finner said he will hold a news briefing on the matter later in the week.
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Jurors deliberating the fate of the man accused of starting the Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in California’s history, failed to reach a verdict Thursday afternoon, telling the judge they were deadlocked.
A spokesperson from the United States Attorney’s Office told KTLA that jurors will continue to deliberate until they reach a verdict or give up.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 30, a former Uber driver and one-time Pacific Palisades resident, is accused of starting the Lachman Fire on New Year’s Eve. The fire continued to smolder underground for about a week, even after Los Angeles firefighters believed it had been extinguished.
Flames reignited on Jan. 7, erupting into the deadly Palisades Fire that killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes in the upscale community, authorities said.
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A courtroom sketch of Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, during his initial court appearance on Oct. 23, 2025. (Bill Robles) -
The U.S. Dept. of Justice booking photo of Jonathan Rinderknecht over the Palisades Fire devastation in Malibu, California in January 2025 (AP).
Prosecutors argued that Rinderknecht deliberately set the fire, claiming he had grown increasingly resentful of wealthy residents and viewed Pacific Palisades as a symbol of that frustration.
“Their case, though circumstantial, is strong,” KTLA legal analyst Alison Triessl said. “The defense is relying on, can they (prosecutors) show beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Rinderknecht actually started this fire and it wasn’t the result of fireworks or some intervening cause.”
The defense argued there is no direct physical evidence tying Rinderknecht to the fire and said the prosecution’s case relies entirely on circumstantial evidence. Rinderknecht did not testify during the trial.
Defense attorney Steve Haney spoke outside the courthouse Wednesday about why he believes it will be difficult for prosecutors to prove how the fire started.
“The lack of scene preservation. The fact that they got there after a lot of the evidence was missing. Not a lot of direct evidence. This is a circumstantial case, which is always difficult as a prosecutor to prove,” Haney said.
Rinderknecht, who was arrested and indicted last October, faces up to 45 years in prison if found guilty of three arson counts, including destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and timber set afire.
Tony Kurzweil contributed to this report
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