Art Acevedo
Hubert Arturo "Art" 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 July 31, 1964 |
| Alma mater | Rio Hondo College (AA), University of La Verne (BS) |
| Spouse(s) | Tanya Born |
| Police career | |
| Department | California Highway Patrol Austin Police Department Houston Police Department |
| Rank |  |
| Website | Art 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's 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] before being hired as the chief of police for the Austin Police Department on June 14, 2007.[6] 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.[7]
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.[8] 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.[8]
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.[9] 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."[10] After interviewing the Houston police union's president, and pouring over arrest records, local news outlet KPRC was unable to find anything to support Acevedo's claims.[10]
References
- Chotznioff, Robin (August 31, 2015). "Chief Art Acevedo". Edible Austin.
- Bova, Gus (January 16, 2018). "Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo on Sanctuary Cities, Police Unions and Tommy Guns". The Texas Observer.
- Barned-Smith, St. John (June 4, 2017). "Houston's top cop sets whirlwind pace during first six months". The Houston Chronicle.
- Eiserer, Tanya (April 1, 2010). "Austin chief Art Acevedo took a force under Justice Department scrutiny and restored trust". The Dallas Morning News.
- "Preventing Gun Violence: A Call to Action" (PDF). House Judiciary Committee. February 6, 2019.
- Smith, Jordan (June 22, 2007). "Acevedo Chosen as New Police Chief: Let the sun shine in". The Austin Chronicle.
- "Chief Art Acevedo's Page". Houston Police Department.
- Blakinger, Keri (January 22, 2020). "Art Acevedo Can't Say That, Can He?". Texas Monthly.
- 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.
- 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.