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Art Acevedo has served as interim chief since December 2022. The city is discussing plans to select a permanent chief.
AURORA, Colo. — After more than a year in the role, Aurora’s interim police chief will leave the department later 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.
In its announcement about Avevedo’s departure, the city said he had strengthened valuable connections between officers and the community to foster trust and support in the department. The city also said that during his tenure the department “made significant progress” on provisions of the Consent Decree.
RELATED: Aurora Police to launch transparency portal, meeting a key requirement of the consent decree
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.
At the time, some community members called the final candidates “disappointing” and “frustrating.”
“I think if you bring a new chief in, that chief must know the unique issues that face Aurora. And it being one of America’s most diverse cities, the department, should reflect what Aurora boasts about – being a diverse community,” Jason McBride told 9NEWS in 2022. He’s a secondary violence prevention specialist with the Struggle of Love Foundation, and is also part of Aurora’s Community Police Task Force.
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