Troy Finner is set to become the new chief of the Houston Police Department, Mayor Sylvester Turner announced Thursday during a press conference.
The selection must be approved by the city council, which is expected to happen next week.
Finner formerly served as an executive assistant under current HPD Chief Art Acevedo, who recently said he has taken a job as the top cop in Miami. Finner began working at HPD in 1990 and has served in several capacities over his 31-year-career.
Turner said he earned “his stripes in HPD,” which has prepared him to lead from day one. Turner said interviewed several candidates for the position and said he was looking for a police chief that the city could trust and depend on.
“(Finner) has earned the trust and respect of people in every corner of our community,” Turner said.
Finner is a native Houstonian from Fifth Ward. He attended James Madison High School and earned a bachelor’s degree from Sam Houston State University and a master’s degree from the University of Houston.
Finner said the department’s top priorities are reducing the homicide rate and violent crime and building trust in the community. He said those efforts are compounded by the ongoing fight against COVID-19.
“It’s a lot of friction. People are frustrated, but we are going to be all right,” he said.
Source: www.click2houston.com
