Houston Mayor John Whitmire has taken decisive action in response to revelations that the Houston Police Department (HPD) dismissed over 260,000 incident reports in recent years. On March 13, Mayor Whitmire appointed five members to an Independent Review Committee charged with assessing the handling and resolution of these suspended cases.
The committee’s mandate, as outlined by Mayor Whitmire, is to ensure transparency, maintain public trust, and prioritize the victims who reported the dismissed crimes. Committee members represent a diverse cross-section of experience and credibility, including former lawmakers, law enforcement officials, and community leaders.
Among the appointed committee members are Ellen Cohen, a former member of the Texas House of Representatives and a leading advocate for women’s rights; Jeff Owles, a veteran Texas Ranger with over two decades of law enforcement experience; and Christina Nowak, Deputy Inspector General of the Office of Policing Reform and Accountability for the city of Houston.
The committee’s responsibilities include verifying the accuracy and completeness of information obtained from HPD and identifying trends, patterns, and discrepancies in the handling and closure of incident reports. Mayor Whitmire emphasized that the committee will report directly to his office and hold HPD accountable for its actions.
The formation of this Independent Review Committee comes in response to HPD’s revelation that it dismissed thousands of cases, including sexual assault investigations, due to a lack of personnel. Mayor Whitmire expressed concern over how these incidents remained undisclosed for eight years and vowed to rectify the situation swiftly.
Since publicly acknowledging the suspended cases, Mayor Whitmire has taken a series of steps to address the issue, including appointing the Independent Review Committee and visiting HPD offices to assess ongoing efforts to support victims. The committee’s first meeting is scheduled for March 20, with a focus on setting goals and establishing timelines for the investigation.
While the city does not have a specific timeline for the investigation, Mayor Whitmire emphasized the importance of conducting it promptly and effectively. The ultimate goal is to restore public confidence in HPD and ensure that all incident reports are thoroughly investigated without compromise.
