| Today (Wednesday, August 14), Houston Mayor John Whitmire and Houston City Council members officially welcomed Chief J. Noe Diaz as Chief of Police of the Houston Police Department.
Chief Diaz replaces former Chief of Police Troy Finner who retired in May 2024. Larry J. Satterwhite has served as Acting Chief of Police since May 2024.
Chief Diaz’s career in law enforcement began in 1987 as a Texas Department of Criminal Justice correctional officer until 1994, when he joined the Harris County Precinct 5 Constable’s Office. In 1996, Chief Diaz was selected by the Texas Department of Public Safety to attend DPS Academy A-96, after which he was assigned to the Highway Patrol Office as a DPS Trooper in Katy, Texas.
In 2001, Chief Diaz was promoted to the State Police Narcotics Division and was stationed in Houston. During his seven years as a narcotics sergeant, Chief Diaz was assigned to the Harris County Organized Crime Task Force, which included HPD, ATF, DEA and FBI.
In 2008, Chief Diaz was appointed a Texas Ranger and served briefly in Rio Grande City, Texas until his return to Houston. He was assigned as the Public Corruption Ranger for the Greater Houston Area for more than 10 years and worked on several high-profile public corruption investigations. Chief Diaz was also assigned to the FBI Public Corruption Border Task Force.
Chief Diaz earned a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from the University of Houston-Downtown, a Master of Science in Criminology from Lamar University and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and the FBI Texas Command College. Chief Diaz also graduated from the Northwestern University Center for Public Safety, School of Police Staff and Command in 2024 and is enrolled in the University of Houston Certified Public Manager Program, beginning in 2025.
Chief Diaz is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police and Texas Police Chiefs Association with more than 7,000 Texas Commission of Law Enforcement (TCOLE) training hours.
VHS/ABH 8-14-24 |
