Mayor joins chorus to cut loose Miami Police Chief Acevedo. He may not go quietly
The man who lured Police Chief Art Acevedo to Miami cut him loose on Tuesday.
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, who for weeks had steered clear of the political train wreck surrounding a high-profile hire he had dubbed the “Michael Jordan” of police chiefs just six months ago, finally offered his thoughts on the embattled chief.
For any slim hope to survive, Acevedo needed a lifeline. He got tossed an anchor instead, with Suarez calling the drama surrounding him an “unfortunate episode for the city of Miami.”
“His personality and leadership style are incompatible with the structure of our city’s government,” the mayor said during a brief appearance at City Hall. “The status quo, where a top city administrator is at war with city leadership is simply untenable and unsustainable.”
So, barring some strange but always possible Miami twist, Acevedo — suspended Monday by the city manager — appears almost certain to be summarily shown the door during a city commission hearing that could take place later this week, possibly on Thursday. That doesn’t mean he will exit quietly, say political observers and people who know the brash chief. His history suggests he will have a thing or two to say before he goes and a lawsuit also appears possible.
This, after all, is a police chief with a national reputation for progressive policing who refused to bow to President Donald Trump when he led the Houston department, warning Trump to keep his “mouth shut” when it came to giving advice during Black Lives Matter protests. Earlier in his career, Acevedo had walked away with a $1 million settlement from the California Highway Patrol after fighting with his bosses. Then there was that combative eight-page memo blasting his critics on the commission that Acevedo wrote to Suarez and City Manager Art Noriega three weeks ago.
The memo attacked three city commissioners, saying they were interfering with internal police investigations and that Acevedo had little choice but to take his concerns to federal authorities.
“He’s not going to walk away and raise the white flag. In fact, I think his career has been about making change,” said criminologist and University of Miami sociology chair Alex Piquero, who said he believes Acevedo came to town with good intentions. “So we had to expect he was going to come in and make some changes. I think he’s given enough indication to all of us that he will go down swinging.”
Acevedo, 57, was suspended with intent to fire by Noriega on Monday. If he doesn’t walk away on his own, the final decision on his employment will be determined by city commissioners, and three of five have been vocal critics. The decision to relieve the chief of duty came two weeks after a pair of public hearings by city commissioners who excoriated the chief for a series of gaffes and controversial hirings, firings and demotions.
Suarez, not typically shy about facing cameras, chose not to attend either hearing and before Tuesday had refused to comment on Acevedo. Questioned about his silence repeatedly, the mayor said he preferred to give the city manager time and space to make a decision on the police chief.
Acevedo, who also chose not to speak or defend himself at either hearing, said through a spokeswoman that he was ordered by the city manager to stay silent during the proceedings.
Among the reasons for his suspension, the manager said, were not following an order and failing to address low morale among his troops and strained community relations. Noriega also said Acevedo had inflamed commissioners and some residents when he said the police department was run by the “Cuban Mafia.” He later admitted he was unaware it was a term used by Fidel Castro to paint Miami exiles who opposed his regime as criminals.
During Tuesday’s City Hall press conference, Suarez said Acevedo declined an offer to resign and asked for more time to “avail himself.” The mayor said he expects commissioners to hear Acevedo’s case before the end of the week.
Noriega named veteran Assistant Police Chief Manny Morales as acting chief on Monday and said he will maintain that post until a new chief is chosen. Morales, a three-decade veteran who rose through the ranks and oversees about two-thirds of the city’s sworn officers, was one of several home-grown candidates who made the final cut for chief back in March before Acevedo’s hiring cut it short.
So far, Acevedo has refused to speak with the Miami Herald and won’t even say if he’s hired an attorney. Legal experts who read Acevedo’s memo said it could be a road map into how the chief will approach a final City Hall showdown and that it appears likely he intends to sue the city.
Michael Pizzi is a Miami attorney who has represented dozens of whistle-blower complainants over the years. He called the chief’s memo “a classic whistleblower set up letter.”
“When I read it,” said Pizzi, “I said he’s writing this to set up a suit.”
Pizzi, who currently has a client who was demoted by Acevedo, said the chief could face a challenge making that case because of the timing of his memo.
“The letter was sent after all of the reasons to terminate him already took place,” Pizzi said.
In the Sept. 24 memo he wrote to Noriega and Suarez, the chief claimed that Commissioners Manolo Reyes, Alex Diaz de la Portilla and Joe Carollo — with no authority under the city charter — attempted to interfere with internal investigations to such an extent that he has little choice but to provide the information to “proper authorities.”
He began the letter saying he was hired to change culture in the department, but was being hindered by “misconduct of certain city commissioners.” He claimed the interference was so bad that intended on contacting the FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice.
“These events are deeply troubling and sad,” wrote Acevedo. “I have no choice but to memorialize and report the above series of improper acts, because the men and women of the MPD [Miami Police Department], and the wonderful community we serve, deserve leadership that is committed to the rule of law.”
Diaz de la Portilla, an Acevedo critic who has already called for the chief to be fired, said he expects Acevedo will show up and “defend himself” during this week’s hearing.
Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum, has known Acevedo for well over a decade since he was chief of police chief in Austin, Texas. He also knows Acevedo from the time he has spent as president of the Major Cities Chiefs of Police.
Wexler said he’s perplexed at how such a high-profile hiring went to pieces so quickly.
“It’s hard to know how this is finally going to end. He came into Miami with a national reputation,” Wexler said. “He’s outspoken and he’s taken strong positions. But something happened to him in Miami that didn’t happen in other cities.”
This story was originally published October 12, 2021 at 6:37 PM.
