Farewell to the chief

Acevedo’s commitment to public service was clear but fell short of his progressive rhetoric.

Everybody wants the rare leader who walks the walk, and as Houston’s police chief, Art Acevedo succeeded and failed. But he also understood the underrated importance of talk, of saying what needed to be said, even when it angered the powerful, of signaling through a steady stream of Tweets and an endless schedule of community meetings and press conferences and candid interactions with ordinary Houstonians that order and justice are meant to coexist.

Acevedo understood the assurance of giving his phone number out to a packed community center full of Near Northside residents fearful that another child would be murdered walking home from school. He understood the power of a uniformed police chief marching with demonstrators after George Floyd’s death, praying with them, kneeling with them, snapping selfies with them, continuing to hear them out even as crowds closed in tight around him on that sticky hot evening, venting their anger and bewilderment that Black men keep dying across the country at the hands of police.

He understood the message he sent every time he showed up. Some called it grandstanding, and maybe it was. Some speculated he was running for office, and maybe he was. But somewhere in there, he was also being a pretty good police chief.

Combative, outspoken, smooth, wily, dedicated. Houston’s first Latino police chief is departing Houston after four years to become police chief in Miami. He leaves behind a city that will miss his passion for public service even as he sometimes fell short of his own progressive rhetoric.

“I leave with a great satisfaction in my heart that I’ve given my best,” Acevedo said, fighting back tears Tuesday. “I’ve had the best team. And it’s hard to say goodbye.”

We wish the chief a fond farewell and hope his successor builds on his achievements and learns from his mistakes.

Born in Cuba and growing up in California, Acevedo was no stranger to Texas when he became Houston’s top cop in late 2016, having served as Austin chief since 2007. But in the Bayou City, Acevedo found the national spotlight in a place that matched his big personality and knotty contradictions.

Less than a year into his tenure, Acevedo was challenged by Hurricane Harvey, holding the line as the city fell apart under unending rain and rallying officers who remained on duty for days without a break.

Acevedo, a self-described Republican In Name Only, never minced words when speaking his mind, frequently lashing out against state and federal GOP officials in interviews and on social media. He railed against the National Rifle Association and called out U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn for failing to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act in 2019, blaming them for not supporting a provision that would keep guns away from those convicted of domestic violence.

That ban, Acevedo said, could have prevented the death of Sgt. Christopher Brewster, killed in the line of duty responding to a domestic violence call.

Brewster was one of six officers who lost their lives under Acevedo. Each death found a somber chief who honored the fallen and publicly mourned.

Acevedo’s most high-profile example of leadership came during the protests over Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police officers. The chief was one of the first law enforcement officials to speak out against the brutal killing and demand accountability. When President Donald Trump called on governors to “dominate” the streets amid protests for racial justice and police reform, Acevedo’s response was characteristically blunt: “Keep your mouth shut.”

More powerful still were the images of Acevedo in the mix with protesters, sharing argument and understanding, and ultimately taking a knee alongside. Those images swept the nation as police departments in many other cities met protesters with tear gas and rubber bullets.

Speaking in Miami on Monday, Acevedo laid out the importance of leadership.

“What people need to understand is that our communities are watching us as leaders,” he said. “Not just for what we say and do, but what we fail to say and do.”

Wise words, and while Acevedo never had a problem with the saying, the doing at times proved difficult.

The chief instituted much-needed policy changes after the botched Harding Street raid left two innocent people dead and five officers injured and was willing to pursue any wrongdoing found by officers and hold them accountable. He also ordered a review of all officers in narcotics and vice.

But Acevedo repeatedly rebuffed calls for an independent investigation, dragged his feet in releasing the internal narcotics audit and has declined to release information sought by the families of Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas, the married couple killed in the raid. Instead, he’s clung to the narrative that a few bad apples are responsible, without clearly examining how far the rot went even as the number of officers who have been indicted has grown to 12.

Then, last spring, after Houston police officers shot and killed six people in as many weeks — the sixth incident coming the same day that Floyd died — Acevedo refused to make public any video available of the shootings, including body camera footage. Video in the death of Nicolas Chavez was eventually shown and four officers were fired, a difficult and commendable call in a case that was far more complex than it first seemed.

Even as he speaks of his support of reforming the cash bail system, Acevedo opposed the terms of Harris County’s settlement on misdemeanor bail and during his farewell news conference Tuesday, slammed judges who he said give violent criminals personal recognizance bonds. Some of his concerns seem founded and some seem to ignore the complex causes of rising crime rates.

In any case, it was a fighting — and fitting — tone to end on for the pugnacious chief, who probably wouldn’t have it any other way.

Mayor Sylvester Turner is expected to announce Acevedo’s replacement this week, with the likely choice being between Executive Assistant Chiefs Troy Finner and Matt Slinkard.

Whoever takes the top spot must continue Acevedo’s push for reform and do the chief one better when it comes to transparency. As Acevedo said: We are all watching.