Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo has announced he is leaving the HPD to head the department in Miami.
Acevedo has been Houston's chief of police since 2016, heading an agency with more than 5,200 officers.
In a late-night email to the department, Acevedo said his leaving will be "bittersweet." “We have been through so much as an extended family; Hurricane Harvey, two World Series, a Super Bowl, Irma, the summer of protests, and most recently, an ice storm of epic proportion," he wrote. "On top of all of this, sadly we have buried 6 of our fallen heroes. No matter the challenge, you have all risen to the occasion, and you have honored the sacrifices of our fallen comrades with resiliency and sustained excellence.”
Acevedo also noted that he “was not looking for this opportunity when it arose, but with the end of Mayor Turner’s final term in office fast approaching, and my strong desire to continue serving as a police officer, we decided the timing for this move was good.”
Acevedo was born in Cuba and began his law enforcement career in California, where he became chief of the California Highway Patrol. He later served more than nine years as Austin’s police chief before coming to Houston.
According to a Facebook post, Miami's police chief resigned at the end of February.
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