After two of the most controversial police use-of-force encounters in his tenure, Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo stood before an assembly of high-ranking officers tasked with carrying out his vision for the department, using raw and emotional language to express his frustration in a private meeting.
In each instance — the shooting of an unarmed teen and the violent arrest of a teacher — Acevedo, one of the nation’s most tenured major city chiefs, had swiftly and publicly condemned the actions of officers, a decision that led some inside the department to question how much Acevedo supports his troops.
In a profanity-laden tirade behind closed doors with his top brass, Acevedo questioned how anyone, much less one of his 18 commanders, could have disagreed with his assessment and desire to hold the officers responsible. He acknowledged the department had “taken a step back” and called upon them to push changes down to the rank-and-file — or to rethink their careers.
