Houston’s Suspension of 260,000 Sexual Assault Cases
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Recently Kevin Price, Host of the nationally syndicated Price of Business Show, interviewed attorney, Lee Kaplan.
Kevin Price, Editor at Large for USABR and Host of the nationally syndicated Price of Business show, recently interviewed Lee Kaplan of the business law firm, Murphy Ball Stratton about the politics of Texas and nationwide. Kaplan is a long time contributor of the Price of Business show and brings important perspectives on politics, business, and the law.
There’s been a major controversy in Houston about how the police department has handled sexual assault cases. Here’s the breakdown:
- Thousands of Cases Suspended: In February 2024, it came to light that the Houston Police Department (HPD) had suspended investigations into over 4,000 sexual assault cases dating back to 2016. This wasn’t just sexual assault cases either, but over 260,000 total cases were flagged this way.
- Reason for Suspension: The reason given was a “lack of personnel.” Police Chief Troy Finner apologized and called the practice “unacceptable.”
- Concerns Raised: This has sparked outrage for a few reasons. Survivors never got justice, and some worry that perpetrators may have re-offended while investigations were stalled. There are also questions about why this practice went on for so long.
- Review and Investigation: Chief Finner ordered a review of the suspended cases to see if investigations can be reopened. There’s also an investigation into how this practice became routine.
- There are lots of questions on whom to blame. Both the current chief and his predecessor are in the eye of the storm.
Here are some resources to learn more:
- Houston Chronicle article: Houston police dropped up to 2,000 criminal, sex assault cases: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/crime/article/houston-police-sexual-assault-dropped-cases-18680465.php
Click2Houston article: Gov. Abbott calls out Houston police over sex assault case suspensions: https://wwwThere’s been a major controversy in Houston about how the police department has handled sexual assault cases. Here’s the breakdown:
- Thousands of Cases Suspended: In February 2024, it came to light that the Houston Police Department (HPD) had suspended investigations into over 4,000 sexual assault cases dating back to 2016. This wasn’t just sexual assault cases either, but over 260,000 total cases were flagged this way.
- Reason for Suspension: The reason given was a “lack of personnel.” Police Chief Troy Finner apologized and called the practice “unacceptable.”
- Concerns Raised: This has sparked outrage for a few reasons. Survivors never got justice, and some worry that perpetrators may have re-offended while investigations were stalled. There are also questions about why this practice went on for so long.
- Review and Investigation: Chief Finner ordered a review of the suspended cases to see if investigations can be reopened. There’s also an investigation into how this practice became routine.
Here are some resources for you to learn more:
-
- Houston Chronicle article: Houston police dropped up to 2,000 criminal, sex assault cases: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/crime/article/houston-police-sexual-assault-dropped-cases-18680465.php
- Click2Houston article: Gov. Abbott calls out Houston police over sex assault case suspensions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpQemYaeiFo
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