Acevedo Officially Fired by City of Miami

Miami Police Chief Art Acevedo was fired from his post Thursday after a feud with powerful city commissioners irked by his unexpected hiring, a brash remark about a “Cuban mafia” and a leaked memo filled with damaging accusations.

“I feel frustrated because I was brought to a city to enact reform,” Acevedo said in an interview with The Washington Post on Thursday. “And unfortunately the city was not ready for reform.”

The firing ends a weeks-long duel with Miami officials.

In a hearing Thursday, an attorney for the city brought up witnesses who described how Acevedo had offended rank-and-file officers with his abrasive approach. His lawyer, meanwhile, said he was being punished for sending a memorandum accusing city commissioners of using the police department to target opponents and of interfering with investigations, the Washington Post reports.

After more than four hours of testimony, commissioners voted unanimously to fire him.

“It’s a litany of things,” interim chief Manny Morales said when asked by the city’s attorney to explain why Acevedo had lost the trust of officers. “But it perhaps boils down to the systematical or systematic demoralization of the police department that has been a result of his leadership style.”