I have been writing a lot about leadership for the past 40 years. One of my major points regarding police leaders is that they need to speak up. Chief Art Acevedo of Houston does that. What he has to say may be provoking — but its is necessary.
I think he’s on the right track!
Chief Art Acevedo
You can read his recent interview in the Texas MonthlyHERE.
Here’s a preview:
“Here’s what people have to remember, whether they’re the [police] union or anyone else: We have to police everybody. We have to respect everybody. Because we rely on the consent of the people that we serve and protect, we need to understand their values…”
“I want to be a twenty-first-century police chief. I think most police chiefs today, what they want to do is change from the ‘Hey, let’s be tough on crime’ mind-set to a mind-set of ‘Let’s be appropriate on crime. Let’s be strategic on crime. Let’s make decisions based on the threat a person truly poses.’ To me, being progressive means that when it comes to people who aren’t hurting others, we need to focus on the restorative approach, to help them get their lives on track…”
I served over 20 years as the chief of police in Madison (WI), four years as chief of the Burnsville (MN) Police Department, and before that as a police officer in Edina (MN) and the City of Minneapolis. I hold graduate degrees from the University of Minnesota and Edgewood College in Madison. I have written many articles over my years as a police leader calling for police improvement (for example, How To Rate Your Local Police, and with my wife, Sabine, Quality Policing: The Madison Experience). After retiring from the police department, I answered a call to ministry, attended seminary, and was ordained as a priest in the Episcopal Church. After 25 years leading two Episcopal Churches in Portage and North Lake, Wisconsin, I now serve as Associate Pastor in a growing, dynamic, and Spirit-filled Lutheran congregation in nearby Black Earth. After losing Sabine, my wife of 40 years to cancer, I met Christine, a retired nurse and widow. We were blessed to find love again and married in 2021.
View all posts by David Couper