Art Acevedo is currently the Law Enforcement Analyst for CNN and former Chief of Police for the Miami Police Department in Florida. Chief Acevedo firmly believes that good, two-way communication is vital for a successful community and steadily works to strengthen the bond between the community and its police department. As a proponent of community policing, Chief Acevedo refers to the proven practice as “Relational Policing,” which is an opportunity to forge a relationship with each and every person a department member comes in contact with. He also subscribes to law enforcement being a data driven, intelligence led process that is well-suited to the policing profession in the 21st Century.
Born in Cuba, he was four years old when he immigrated to the United States with his family in 1968. Acevedo subsequently grew up in California and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Administration from the University of La Verne in California. He has been awarded a myriad of leadership and community service awards, and In July 2018 was named by the Carnegie Corporation a “Great Immigrant * Great American.”
Acevedo began his law enforcement career with the California Highway Patrol in 1986 as a field patrol officer in East Los Angeles. Ultimately, he rose through the ranks and was named Chief of the California Highway Patrol in 2005. Prior to his nomination and appointment to lead the Houston Police Department, Chief Acevedo served over nine years as the Chief of Police for the Austin, Texas Police Department from July 2007 – December 2016.
Chief Acevedo has held various leadership positions with the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and was previously President of the Major Cities Chiefs Association. He is married and has three children.
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“…if we’re really going to create a just nation, we have to bring transparency into the educational system, into who’s getting suspended and for what? Who’s getting expelled and for what? What color are they? What’s the socio-economics behind it…so it goes well beyond us.”
– Chief Art Acevedo