Committee says lack of communication, training led to thousands of dropped cases by Houston police

Associated Press

HOUSTON (AP) — An independent committee says a breakdown in communication, a lack of training, inconsistent protocols and an ineffective records management system were some of the reasons that led to Houston police dropping more than 268,000 cases over nearly the past decade. The cases, whose existence was made public earlier this year, were never submitted for investigation as officers assigned them an internal code that cited a lack of available personnel. Among these cases were more than 4,000 sexual assault cases and at least two homicides. The committee, appointed by Houston Mayor John Whitmire, detailed its findings to Houston City Council at its weekly meeting on Wednesday.  The controversy involving the dropped cases led to the removal of the police chief.