HOUSTON — Troy Finner has been named the next chief of police for the Houston Police Department.
Mayor Sylvester Turner made the announcement Thursday during a news conference. Chief Art Acevedo earlier this week confirmed he was leaving to head up Miami's police force.
The executive assistant chief is a 31-year veteran of the department. He was born in Houston's Fifth Ward and was raised in Hiram Clarke where he graduated from Madison High School. Finner earned his bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Sam Houston State University and his masters in criminal justice from the University of Houston-Clear Lake.
"I’m so humble, so honored to lead this department in this great city," Finner said Thursday.
Finner thanked Acevedo for his leadership over the last 4.5 years and called him a friend, colleague and someone he truly respects.
Executive assistant chief Matt Slinkard, Finner's longtime partner, was also considered a candidate for the position. Mayor Turner said there is no question he had a winning hand in selecting between the two.
"Matt and I made the pledge that whoever got (the job), the other was going to stay here and help build this city," Finner said.
Slinkard called Mayor Turner's choice for chief "excellent, outstanding and phenomenal."
"Words of the English language are woefully inadequate to describe how I feel about you," Slinkard said to Finner during the news conference. "I love and respect you as if you were my own flesh and blood. I am overjoyed of you and your accomplishments. I consider it an honor to serve under you. You wholeheartedly deserve this distinct honor."
Big job ahead for the new chief
Finner will have a big job ahead of him. He said his top priority as chief will be reducing the number of homicides and violent crime in Houston while also building relationships with the community.
"(Houston is) a major city with major crime," Finner said. "When we talk in terms of trust and building relationships and respecting people, we talk about the police department and the community. It’s time everybody take some responisibilty and come together."
Houston's murder rate was on the rise in 2020 with at least 400 killings by the end of the year — a trend possibly tied to impacts from the pandemic, the mayor said in an interview late last year.
More recently, the family of Nicolas Chavez, a man who was killed by Houston police, filed a $100 million lawsuit against the city and five of its officers. And the mother of a baby accidentally shot by police also recently said she planned to sue the department. Last year was also a deadly one for police staff, with several on-duty deaths or killings reported.