Art Acevedo

Hubert Arturo Acevedo (born July 31, 1964) is an American police officer and the incumbent chief of police of the Houston Police Department. He previously held the same position at the Austin Police Department following a career with the California Highway Patrol.

Art Acevedo
Born
Hubert Arturo Acevedo

(1964-07-31) July 31, 1964
Havana, Cuba
Alma materRio Hondo College (AA), University of La Verne (BS)
Spouse(s)Tanya Born
Police career
DepartmentCalifornia Highway Patrol
Austin Police Department
Houston Police Department
Rank Chief
WebsiteArt Acevedo on Twitter

Background and education

Acevedo was born in Havana, Cuba, in 1964,[1] immigrating to the United States at age four with his family in 1968. His father was a police officer in Havana.[2] Acevedo grew up in El Monte, California,[1] becoming a naturalized citizen in 1985.[3] He attended Rio Hondo College, graduating in 1986 with an associate degree in communications.[4] In 2005, Acevedo graduated from University of La Verne with a bachelor's in public administration.[4]

Career

Acevedo began his career as a field patrol officer in East Los Angeles with the California Highway Patrol in 1986 after graduation from their training academy.[3] He rose to the rank of chief with CHP in 2005.[5]

In 2008, Acevedo received a settlement of almost $1 million from the California Highway Patrol, in connection to a harassment lawsuit. The suit alleged that he was retaliated against by CHP commissioner Dwight "Spike" Hemlock after applying for the position of CHP chief.[6]

Austin Police Department

Acevedo was hired as chief of the Austin Police Department in 2007, over a year after the resignation of chief Stan Knee to take a position for DynCorp in Afghanistan.[7][8]

Following the February 8, 2016 shooting death of unarmed 17-year-old David Joseph, Acevedo fired officer Geoffrey Freeman, citing failure to stick to policy.[9] Freeman appealed the firing, reaching a settlement that December that awarded him $35,000 and allowed him to work for other police departments.[10]

During his time in Austin, Acevedo appeared on The Alex Jones Show on multiple occasions.[11]

Houston Police Department

In November 2016, Acevedo was hired as Houston police chief, filling a vacancy created after the retirement of Charles McClelland that February. Acevedo is the first person of Hispanic descent to lead the department.[12]

Shortly after the indictment of Michael Bennett for shoving a security guard at Super Bowl LI, Acevedo gave a press conference where he called Bennett "morally corrupt."[13] Charges against Bennett were dropped in 2019.[14]

Political views

Acevedo in January 2020 described himself as a registered Republican during his time in California, but a "lifelong RINO," or "Republican In Name Only," usually a pejorative reference to iconoclastic or otherwise non-conservative views.[15] In the same interview, he addressed his outspokenness on gun violence and reiterated his support for the Violence Against Women Act and openness to decriminalization of some drugs.[15]

During the wake of the killing of George Floyd, Acevedo acknowledged that policing in the United States has had a "disparate treatment and impact on disenfranchised communities — especially communities of color and poor communities", but resisted calls to defund the police.[16] During the subsequent protests in Houston, Acevedo was seen in a video telling protesters "pay close attention because these little white guys with their skateboards are the ones who are starting all the shit", which he later doubled down on during a news conference when he said "We’re seeing that there are people, who are not people of color, who are coming into this city and other cities to actually start agitating and actually engaging in violence."[17] After interviewing the Houston police union's president, and poring over arrest records, local news outlet KPRC was unable to find anything to support Acevedo's claims.[17]

Acevedo appeared in a video shown on the opening night of the 2020 Democratic National Convention which also features Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, activist Jamira Burley, activist Gwen Carr, NAACP President Derrick Johnson, and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot.[18]

References
  1. Chotznioff, Robin (August 31, 2015). "Chief Art Acevedo". Edible Austin.
  2. Bova, Gus (January 16, 2018). "Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo on Sanctuary Cities, Police Unions and Tommy Guns". The Texas Observer.
  3. Barned-Smith, St. John (June 4, 2017). "Houston's top cop sets whirlwind pace during first six months". The Houston Chronicle.
  4. Eiserer, Tanya (April 1, 2010). "Austin chief Art Acevedo took a force under Justice Department scrutiny and restored trust". The Dallas Morning News.
  5. "Preventing Gun Violence: A Call to Action" (PDF). House Judiciary Committee. February 6, 2019.
  6. McGreevy, Patrick (June 11, 2008). "CHP to settle with former chief". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  7. Smith, Jordan (June 22, 2007). "Acevedo Chosen as New Police Chief: Let the sun shine in". The Austin Chronicle.
  8. King, Michael (June 16, 2006). "Good Morning, Afghani-Stan!". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  9. Dart, Tom (March 21, 2016). "Austin police officer fired for fatally shooting unarmed 17-year-old". The Guardian. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  10. Hoffberger, Chase (December 2, 2016). "Geoffrey Freeman Reaches Settlement With City". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  11. Jankowski, Phillip (September 3, 2016). "Chief Acevedo, Alex Jones talk about guns, cop shootings on Infowars". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  12. "Chief Art Acevedo's Page". Houston Police Department.
  13. Shorr-Parks, Eliot (March 23, 2018). "Eagles' Michael Bennet 'morally corrupt,' says Houston police chief after arrest warrant". NJ.com. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  14. "Charges against Michael Bennett dropped because of insufficient evidence". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
  15. Blakinger, Keri (January 22, 2020). "Art Acevedo Can't Say That, Can He?". Texas Monthly.
  16. Olivares, Valeria (June 10, 2020). "Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo tells U.S. House committee defunding police is "not the answer"". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  17. Eisenbaum, Joel (June 5, 2020). "HPD Chief Art Acevedo's statement on protest agitators doesn't stand up to the KPRC 2 Trust Index". KPRC. Archived from the original on June 13, 2020. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  18. "Democrats Announce Highlights from Opening Night of the 2020 Democratic National Convention: Uniting America". 2020 Democratic National Convention. August 17, 2020. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
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