Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo says his first six months on the job has involved much excitement, change, accomplishments and challenges.
At a news conference at HPD Headquarters today (June 5), Chief Acevedo thanked officers and the community for their willingness to help build what the Chief calls “relational policing,” one citizen interaction at a time.
Among the many accomplishments Chief Acevedo discussed since being named Chief on November 30, 2016:
- Department reorganization – reduced upper management positions which saved resources, streamlined chain of command and increased accountability
- Crime Reduction – increased focus on investigators responding to scenes to support patrol, creation of specialized investigative units.
- Resource Assessment and Distribution – Increased focus on teams and crime prevention units working during hours when department is most impacted by crime.
- Disciplinary Process Changes – implementation of positive discipline, revision of promotional bypass policy
Chief Acevedo said, “The Houston Police Department is policing one of the most dynamic and fastest growing cities in the United States. I am extremely proud of what we have accomplished as a department. While we have made great strides, there is still a lot of work to be done to get to where we want to be. I’d like to thank Mayor Sylvester Turner and our City Council for their continued support,” he added.
Among Chief Acevedo’s goals moving forward are improvements to technology in the department’s body-worn camera program, elimination of unnecessary processes in the organization, conduct a patrol-leveling staffing study, continue to reduce violent crime in Houston by allocation of personnel and improving communication, transparency and accountability to the public.