Art Acevedo – President

Art Acevedo is currently the Chief of Police for the Miami Police Department (MPD) was appointed by City Manager Art Noriega. He was sworn into office on April 5, 2021 and leads the largest municipal law enforcement agency in Florida. MPD has 1,312 sworn law enforcement officers, 490 civilian support personnel, and an annual budget of more than $250 million.

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.

Chief Acevedo’s personal history makes him uniquely suited to the role of Miami Police Chief. Born in Cuba under the communist Castro regime, he was four years old when he immigrated to the United States with his family in 1968. Like so many other Cuban families, their first taste of American freedom was in Miami. 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. He then served as Chief of Police for the Austin Police Department for more than nine years. In December 2016, he was appointed Chief of Police for the Houston Police Department, where for more than four years he led over 5,400 sworn officers to protect and serve the fourth-largest city in the United States.

Chief Acevedo has held various leadership positions with the Major Cities Chiefs Association and the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and is currently the President of the Major Cities Chiefs Association. He is married and has three children.