AURORA, Colo. — After more than a year in the role, Aurora's interim police chief will leave the department later this month.
The city announced Tuesday that Chief Art Acevedo decided to return to Texas to be with his family. His last day will be Jan. 22.
“This was a difficult decision to make,” said Acevedo. “I am grateful for the unwavering dedication of the exceptional men and women of the Aurora Police Department. Serving as Chief of Police alongside the current leadership team has been an honor. Together, we have achieved significant progress in this remarkable, diverse and welcoming community. I carry with me immense pride in the positive impact we have had. Aurora will forever remain a part of me.”
He was named to the interim chief post on Dec. 5, 2022, after a failed national search to find a permanent chief in the fall of that year. Two of the three named finalists withdrew their names from consideration.
Current Interim Deputy Chief Heather Morris will be appointed as APD’s Interim Chief of Police on Jan. 22. City officials will discuss the next steps for identifying a new permanent police chief in the coming weeks but no other details were shared.
But with APD's fourth leader in two years, those in the community are feeling frustrated.
"So we thought we would have someone permanent by now, we just continue to play this game out here in Aurora, musical police chiefs," said Jason McBride, founder and youth violence prevention specialist at McBride Impact.
McBride is also a former member of Aurora's Community Police Task Force, a task force he says was disbanded multiple interim chiefs ago.
"They really never took our input and you know, we were doing it for two years. And they never really used anything or any of our suggestions to select the chief," McBride said.
Now, McBride said he and other members want to see that task force put back in place as Aurora starts its search for a chief yet again.
“We really need to be reconvened and pick someone soon, not rush through the process, not bring people who don’t reflect what Aurora’s diversity is like," McBride said. "And that’s what you got the last time, but someone who is serious about staying in this job, in this role and policing Aurora for years to come."
Prior to him being named interim chief, the city named three finalists for the job who were all white, despite the city saying at the time it had hired the California-based recruiting firm Public Sector Search & Consulting (PSSC) to conduct a national search with a focus on recruiting a diverse pool of applicants.
McBride said many in the city do not want that to happen again.
"No, and I mean, I think this next chief has to be reflective of this community. This is a super diverse community, I think even more so than Denver. So we really need someone out here that reflects the diversity that is making Aurora a one of a kind place to live," McBride said.
That need for a police force that reflects the community it serves is important. And now, soon after wrapping up criminal trials against those involved with Elijah McClain's death, transparency on the path forward will be critical.
“Everyone wasn’t held accountable in that situation," McBride said. "But it’s a start, right? And I think we can continue that momentum, but we need to get the person who is going to be leading us in terms of what the police are going to be doing in this community in that position before we can go forward."
Following the announcement of Acevedo's resignation Tuesday, Aurora City Manager Jason Batchelor said, while Morris will be interim chief, they haven't made any permanent hiring choices yet.
"We're going to take some time, going to take a few weeks to figure out what's next. We don't have that answer right now," Batchelor said.
McBride says until they do, all the community can do is wait and hope that Aurora and APD finds the right fit for the job — finally.
"We're just going to see where it goes from here, that's all we can do," McBride said. "We would love to be a part of the process, I think the community deserves that, too."
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