Austin police Chief Acevedo to take helm of Houston force

Houston’s new police chief is taking the helm of the fifth-largest police force in the U.S. after having been the top cop in Austin for nearly the past decade.

Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo has been tapped to be Houston’s new police chief, according to Austin Mayor Steve Adler. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner was expected to make an official announcement Thursday afternoon.

“Houston is getting a world-class police chief,” Adler said in a statement. “Chief Acevedo has made our community safer and closer, and he is trusted and much loved by so many. Austin is losing a moral and joyous leader, and I’m losing a friend.”

Acevedo’s tenure in Austin was marked by efforts to strengthen ties with community groups. He has been an active user of Twitter, tweeting about community events and his support of police officers.

“Folks are quick to critique when officers fall short and they should, but we also need to lift up and acknowledge good policing,” Acevedo tweeted on Nov. 12.

But Acevedo has also faced recent criticism from some community leaders and police commanders over several use-of-force incidents, including the 2015 arrest of a black teacher who was thrown to the ground by one white officer and the February fatal shooting of an unarmed, naked 17-year-old.

After the February fatal shooting, Acevedo was criticized by the police union after speaking about the shooting at a news conference while standing with groups such as Black Lives Matter.

In a survey released earlier this year by the Austin Police Association , 52 percent of officers thought morale within the department was poor and 42 percent of officers said they didn’t think Acevedo could effectively lead the department in the future.

Acevedo will take over a police department- with about 5,000 officers – that has been criticized by some Houston community leaders and activists over the agency’s recurring issues with use of deadly force. Nearly every officer-involved shooting in Houston for more than a decade has been deemed justified by the law enforcement agency.

“We feel that the police department needs to be reviewed very carefully. We look forward to meeting the new chief and seeing what inroads we can make,” said Johnny Mata, a longtime activist with the Greater Houston Coalition for Justice.