Interim Chief Art Acevedo Resigning from Denver-Area PD

Interim Chief Art Acevedo is resigning from his position after 13 months leading the Aurora (Colorado) Police Department, setting the city up for its fifth new police chief in as many years.

Acevedo joined the Aurora Police Department in December 2022 and will leave Monday. He said during a news conference Tuesday that he had hoped to stay in Aurora for two to three years and had been in discussions with city leaders over the past few weeks about “losing the interim title,” but that he wants to return to Texas to be with his family.

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 reforms under a consent decree, and saw significant turnover in its chiefs.

The Aurora Police Department has seen four 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. Former Chief Dan Oates then briefly came out of retirement to head the department until Acevedo was hired as interim in December 2022 after a failed hiring process to find a permanent replacement .

When hired, 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 position after conflict with city leadership. Acevedo spent decades as a police officer and years in leadership as police chief in Austin and Houston.

City Manager Jason Batchelor on Tuesday named interim Deputy Chief Heather Morris as the next interim chief. Acevedo brought Morris into the Aurora Police Department in April after the pair previously worked together in Houston and Miami.