ART ON THE MOVE
Former Austin police chief Art Acevedo announces surprising departure from Houston post
Houston Police Chief and former Austin PD top brass Art Acevedo is moving on to other challenges, according to a late night email, confirmed by the Houston Police Officers' union.
In an internal email obtained by ABC13 and sent to his officers late March 14, Acevedo said in part:
After 4 1/2 years of leading this amazing organization, and serving our great community, I can say leaving will truly be bittersweet. We have been through so much as an extended family; Hurricane Harvey, two World Series, a Super Bowl, Irma, the summer of protests, and most recently, an ice storm of epic proportion. On top of all of this, sadly we have buried 6 of our fallen heroes.
"I was not looking for this opportunity when it arose," Acevedo continued in the email. "But with the end (of) Mayor Turner's final term in office fast approaching, and my strong desire to continue serving as a police officer, we decided the timing for this move was good."
Acevedo also wrote that Executive Assistant Chiefs Matt Slinkard and Troy Finner "are ready and highly capable" in terms of moving the department forward, though it's unknown at this time who will officially take Acevedo's place.
He spent most of his law enforcement career in California but always had his eyes set on Houston, he once said.
Now it appears Acevedo is heading to take a new role in Miami.
According to a Facebook post, the Florida city's police chief resigned his position at the end of February.
HPOU president Douglas Griffin said, "We appreciate his service to Houston, and wish him the best in Miami."
Acevedo was named the new police chief of Miami during a press conference in Florida at 9 am March 15.
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