Executive Assistant Chief Larry Satterwhite will become interim Houston police chief after Troy Finner resigned from his position Monday evening.

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Mayor John Whitmire announced that Executive Deputy Chief Larry Satterwhite will assume the role of interim Houston police chief after Troy Finner resigned from the position Tuesday evening.

“I have accepted the retirement of Troy Finner as Chief of Police and have named Larry Satterwhite Acting Chief of Police effective at 10:31 p.m. this evening,” Whitmire wrote in an email sent to HPD employees. “This decision comes out of full confidence in Acting Chief Satterwhite’s abilities to lead and uphold the high standards of our department.”

Satterwhite held the position of executive deputy chief, one of the highest ranks in the department. In this capacity, he directed the ministry’s field operations. HPD says this position works on crime and traffic issues in the city.

READ MORE: Troy Finner out of post as Houston police chief amid suspended cases scandal

ABC13 has interviewed Satterwhite numerous times at numerous crime scenes over the years.

Finner had worked at the department since 1990 and had spent 12 years as a parole officer. He became police chief in 2021, replacing former chief Art Acevedo.

Finner “retired” from his position amid questions over whether he knew about a code that suspended more than 260,000 cases years earlier than the timeline he had given the public.

In February, the now-former chief revealed that thousands of sexual assault investigations had been suspended due to understaffing, which was associated with the code “Suspended-Understaffed” or “SL.”

In the weeks following the mid-February revelation, Finner announced the true scale of suspended cases: more than 264,000 investigations suspended since 2016 due to staffing shortages.

While Acevedo was chief at the start of this timeline, ABC13 pressed Finner as he learned of the cases and his actions to resolve unresolved issues.

At a press conference on March 7, Finner told reporters that he first became aware of the code in November 2021 – a day before the Astroworld tragedy – and ordered his executives to no longer never use it. However, an email obtained by 13 investigators shows he knew the code was being used at least once in 2018.

13 Investigators first reported this email just hours before Whitmire announced he was accepting Finner’s “retirement.”

SEE ALSO: 13 Investigations: HPD Chief Finner Received Email About 2018 Code Suspension

The July 20, 2018, email was addressed to several high-ranking HPD leaders, including Acevedo and Finner, who was executive deputy chief at the time.

The email mentions a specific road rage case marked “Suspended – Understaffing.” He said the case was characterized that way, even though a witness identified a suspect.

Finner responds to the email saying, “This is unacceptable, look into the matter and follow up with me.”

The email does not report issues with the suspended code or indicate how often it is used.

After the report, Finner released a statement, insisting he had no recollection of the email before Tuesday.

“I have always been honest and never tried to mislead anyone about anything, including this investigation. Until I was shown the email today Today I had no recollection of it. I have since been informed that it was already included in the internal investigation. I promised an independent and thorough investigation and my lack of knowledge of this email constitutes evidence of. my independence,” the statement read in part.

Meanwhile, Acevedo told 13 Investigates he feels horrible for Finner and maintains he knows nothing about the code.

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