Rock star Miami police chief's future is on thin ice 6 months into job

(CNN) Six months after Art Acevedo resigned as Houston's police chief to be appointed the top position to be the top officer at to be the top officer at Miami Police Department, his career with the department is at risk after city commissioners demanded his removal during two heated meeting.

The commission had meetings lasting hours between September 27, and 1 October to debate Acevedo's actions and decisions which they claim to be questionable in just a few days after the chief had sent an explosive memo addressed to Miami City Manager Francis Suarez and City Manager Arthur Noriega on September 24.

In the memo in the memo, Acevedo charged city commissioners Joe Carollo, Alex Diaz de la Portilla and Manolo Reyes of interfering reform efforts as well as a secret internal investigation.

Commissioners Carollo, de la Portilla and Reyes were not able to be reached for comments when they were contacted by CNN. The Mayor Suarez as well as City Manager Noriega were also not asked for comment.

The second meeting ended with commissioners voting to establish a panel that will look into Acevedo's appointment as well as the allegations against the commissioners made in the memo he wrote to them.

Acevedo is one of the very first Latino to head the Houston police force Houston was described by Miami's mayor to be the "Tom Brady or Michael Jordan of police chiefs," when he was appointed.

He has taken himself to the national spotlight as a police chief who has been a vocal voice on the subject of police reform and public safety. He has also called for national standards for police force and police officers and taking part in protests after George Floyd was killed by police officers at the scene in Minneapolis.

In his letter from last month Acevedo stated: "If I or MPD allow the illegal actions described in this memo as an Cuban immigrants me and my family may just as well have remained in communist Cuba in the first place, since Miami and MPD will be no different than the dictatorship as well as the state of police that we have left behind."

At the time of the meeting earlier this month, commissioners discussed Acevedo's past, with a focus on his period in Houston and criticizing the manner in which Acevedo was appointed, claiming that the process didn't conform to standard.

The NBC 6 investigation revealed that Acevedo was not officially a candidate for the position of chief, but the mayor suggested Acevedo for the job during his time living in Houston as well as the City Manager appointed the city manager. He was selected out of more than 50 candidates and eight finalist candidates, including five applicants from the internal pool who were selected through a selection process.

As per NBC 6, Suarez previously stood up for the chief's selection by saying that "it was an excellent recruitment job done by our manager to bring America's police chief to Miami."

Acevedo is facing backlash after demotions of two officers and dismissing another

Since then, a number of controversial actions by Acevedo have caused tensions with the city during the last six months, as stated by Alexis Piquero, the chair of the sociology department as well as criminalology of the University of Miami.

Acevedo received criticism from his police department after he dismissed two top-ranking officers and demoted a top-ranking Black Miami female police officer in the spring of this year. He then seemed to endorse the Covid-19 vaccine requirement for police officers. However, the turning point, according Piquero was when Acevedo informed officers on a the roll call in August in August that "Cuban Mafia controls Miami Police Department." Miami Police Department."

Acevedo apologized later and said that his statement was meant for it to "highlight that diversity plays a significant role within our ranks and to encourage a more lighthearted conversation," but added that the comment was "highly offending to the exiled Cuban community that I am a proud and proud member."

When approached by CNN to provide an opinion on the allegations and the meetings, Acevedo said he has been "ordered by the city to speak about these matters."

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