Mayor Sylvester Turner Appoints New Chief of Police New Chief Has Strong Ties to Houston’s Diverse Communities

I recently announced the appointment of the next Chief of Police for the City of Houston Police Department.  After Chief Art Acevedo resigned to accept a new position in Miami, I spoke to and heard from countless Houstonians who offered their opinions and advice.

I also interviewed potential candidates for what I consider to be one of the most critical roles in my administration and one of the most important and visible jobs in the City of Houston.

After weighing the decision carefully, I chose Executive Assistant Chief Troy Finner as the City’s next Chief of Police.

My goal was to find someone who was fully capable of leading this department from day one, who knows this city, its neighborhoods and its people. I also wanted someone who would work daily to gain and maintain the trust of our diverse communities and who would focus on the priorities of the HPD. And someone who has earned the respect of the command staff and those who patrol our streets every day; someone who recognizes that our department is not perfect and that most of the recommendations coming from the Mayor’s Task Force on Police Reform must be implemented.

The 5,300 officers – the men and women on the frontlines – deserve a police chief who will give them what they need to do their jobs, and the community deserves a police chief they can trust and depend on to keep them safe.

Chief Finner began his career with the Houston Police Department in 1990 and has worked in every aspect of the department. He is a highly regarded law enforcement officer in the Houston Police Department. He has earned the trust and respect of people in every corner of our diverse City.

He is a strong, decisive leader, and he is someone people follow, listen to and genuinely like. He is a straight shooter. He loves the department, the men and women of this department and the people of this city.

In addition to naming our new chief of police, I will also be proposing, at Chief Finner’s request, a command change within the Houston Police Department.  The number two person in HPD of Deputy Executive Assistant Chief requires a change to the Master Job Classification Ordinance which I will ask Houston City Council to approve.

I am confident Chief Finner, his leadership team and officers will do  everything within their power to reduce crime across the City of Houston.

Chief Troy Finner will move HPD forward in a way that embraces individual responsibility and the highest standards of policing that protects and serves our City.