Houston police chief takes job in Miami

MIAMI — Art Acevedo, the Houston, Texas, police chief who forged a national profile by calling for gun control, marching with protesters after George Floyd’s death and criticizing former President Donald Trump, is taking the top job in the Miami Police Department, officials said Monday.

“We went out and got what I feel is America’s best chief,” said Miami Mayor Francis Suarez standing alongside Acevedo at a news conference Monday after describing him to The Miami Herald as the Tom Brady or Michael Jordan of police chiefs.

Acevedo, 56, is expected to begin the job in four to eight weeks. He is replacing Chief Jorge Colina, who retired in February.

Acevedo was born in Cuba but came to the U.S. as a refugee with his family when he was 4 years old. He became the first Hispanic to run Houston’s police department in November 2016, overseeing a 5,400-person force with a more than $1 billion yearly budget.

The Miami police force is much smaller, with a staff of 1,400 and is overshadowed by the Miami-Dade County Police Department with more than 3,000 police officers. When asked why he had taken on a smaller force, Acevedo said his time was coming up in Houston with Mayor Sylvester Turner’s final term coming to an end. He said he had enjoyed visiting Miami and highlighted the downtown and Little Havana districts.

“I want to be part of that,” he said adding that he had opportunities in Los Angeles and with President Joe Biden’s administration. “My heart was here.”