Aurora interim police Chief Art Acevedo is resigning his position after a little more than one year leading the police department, the city announced Tuesday.
Acevedo joined the Aurora Police Department in December 2022 and will leave Jan. 22, according to a city news release. He is resigning to return to Texas and spend time with his family, the city news release said.
“This was a difficult decision to make,” Acevedo said in the news release. “I am grateful for the unwavering dedication of the exceptional men and women of the Aurora Police Department. Serving as chief of police alongside the current leadership team has been an honor.”
Acevedo led the department during a tumultuous time as the police agency reeled in the wake of Elijah McClain’s killing, worked to comply with court-mandated reform and saw significant turnover in its chiefs.
The police department has seen five different leaders in the last five years. Chief Nick Metz, who retired in 2019, was followed by Chief Vanessa Wilson, who was controversially fired in April 2022. Interim Chief Dan Oates then briefly came out of retirement to head the department until Acevedo was hired in December 2022.
At the time, Acevedo was expected to lead the department for six to 12 months. He came to Aurora after a six-month stint as Miami’s police chief; he was fired from that role after butting heads with city leadership. Acevedo spent decades as a police officer and years in leadership as police chief in Austin and Houston.
He was hired as Aurora struggled to find applicants for the permanent police chief position.
The city’s next interim chief will be Heather Morris, a current interim deputy chief in the department. She will be appointed on Jan. 22, according to the city’s news release.
Acevedo brought Morris into the Aurora Police Department in April 2023 after the pair previously worked together in Houston and Miami.
Morris previously spent 22 years as a police officer in Houston, retiring in 2021 as an assistant chief. She briefly served as Acevedo’s second in command in the Miami Police Department.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Sign up to get crime news sent straight to your inbox each day.
from The Denver Post https://www.denverpost.com/2024/01/16/art-acevedo-aurora-police-chief-resigns/
via IFTTT
Comments
Post a Comment