AURORA, Colo. — Art Acevedo was sworn in as the interim leader of the Aurora Police Department during Monday's Aurora City Council meeting.
Denver7 Investigates reported on Nov. 14 that the City of Aurora was looking to hire Acevedo as interim police chief. The next day, the city announced Acevedo's appointment to the role.
Acevedo, who has served as police chief in Austin, Texas, Houston and most recently Miami, was appointed as city officials “[reset] the national recruitment process for a permanent chief,” a release from the city read.
Earlier this year, Acevedo filed a lawsuit against the city of Miami claiming he was wrongfully fired as Miami’s police chief in 2021 after just a few months on the job. Acevedo is claiming they fired him for blowing the whistle on wrongdoing by city officials, as CNN reported.
He was hired in Miami amid high praise from the city's mayor – who called Acevedo the “Tom Brady or the Michael Jordan of police chiefs" – after more than four years as the Houston (Texas) Police Department chief.
Acevedo most recently worked as a CNN law enforcement analyst and an adviser with the body camera analytics company Truleo.
Monday also marked Dan Oates' last day as interim Aurora police chief. In a tweet, Aurora PD wished him "melancholy happy trails" and thanked him for his service.
A melancholy happy trails to Chief Dan Oates who retired today after serving as interim Aurora Chief for the last 6 months.
— Aurora Police Dept (@AuroraPD) December 6, 2022
You have served for over 40 years. Thank you. #communitycommitment #APDStrong https://t.co/MDpYavaQn1
Oates had been the interim chief of the department since this summer. He was picked as the interim chief after former chief Vanessa Wilson was fired in April for what the city manager called her failure to effectively manage the department.
Oates will return to his home and family in Florida, according to the city.
Meanwhile, the search for a permanent police chief continues. City Manager Jim Twombly said in October that community members and city council members wanted the city to continue the search and start over for “a variety of reasons,” which he said he supported.
“We all – city management, the City Council, and the community – want the best person for the job who will address crime in Aurora and lead the Aurora Police Department to be racially equitable, bias-free, culturally competent and responsive to all residents,” Aurora City Manager Jim Twombly said at the time.