Art Acevedo
Interim Chief of Police
Art Acevedo was sworn in on December 5, 2022, as the Interim Chief of Police of the Aurora, CO Police Department. He also served as Chief of Police in Austin, TX, Houston, TX and Miami, FL. He began his law enforcement career as a patrol officer with the California Highway Patrol (CHP), in 1986, patrolling the streets of East Los Angeles. Chief Acevedo rose through the ranks of the CHP and was promoted to Chief in 2005. He has served as a peace officer at the state and municipal levels for over 35 years. In 2007, he was appointed as Chief of the Austin Police Department (APD), where Acevedo served the rapidly growing and changing city for nearly 10 years. In 2016, Chief Acevedo was appointed as Chief of the Houston Police Department (HPD), where he served the most diverse city in America for nearly five years. In 2021, he was appointed as Chief of the Miami Police Department.
Chief Acevedo firmly believes that honest, two-way communication is vital for successful, transparent relationships. He worked tirelessly to strengthen the bond between the community and police in every city he served. As a proponent of community policing, Chief Acevedo developed the proven practice of "Relational Policing," which is built on six tenets of leadership and operational philosophy. Relational Policing provides an opportunity and expectation for each team member to forge a positive relationship with each and every person with whom they come into contact. Chief Acevedo also subscribes to law enforcement being a data driven, intelligence led profession that demands leaders, and the teams they lead, be prepared for the challenges and opportunities of the 21st Century.
As the first Hispanic to lead APD and HPD, Chief Acevedo brought a unique understanding to the concerns of the diverse communities he served. His experience as an immigrant led him to join the National Latino Peace Officers Association where he served as National President and mentored youth and, young law enforcement professionals. Acevedo also served in a leadership capacity with the Major Cities Chiefs Association for over 14 years, and for three years served as the organization's President, representing the Nation's 70 largest police departments. Acevedo continues to advocate for law enforcement and criminal justice reform, firearm safety reform, the Violence Against Women Act, comprehensive immigration reform, digital trust, and many other critical criminal justice policy measures. In 2022, Acevedo launched The Acevedo Leadership Advantage Group. This is an exciting opportunity for him to share the lessons he gleamed from his many years of leadership experience, in crisis management, and community building throughout the United States. Born in Cuba, Art is fully bilingual, being just four years old when he immigrated to the United States with his family in 1968.
Art Acevedo grew up in Southern California and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Administration from the University of La Verne in California, where he was also awarded an Honorary Doctorate. He is married and has three children.