MIAMI – Miami’s City Manager announced plans to fire the city’s police chief.
Miami City Manager Art Noriega released a statement on Monday night saying he was suspending Miami Police Chief Art Acevedo with the intent of terminating his employment.
The move comes as Acevedo and several Miami City Commissioners have had a very public feud in which Commissioner Joe Carollo and two others have wanted the high-profile chief out.
Acevelo accused city hall of interfering with police work.
Noriega’s statement read:
“Today, I suspended Police Chief Art Acevedo with the intent to terminate his employment, consistent with the City Charter.
The relationship between the Chief and the organization has become untenable and needed to be resolved promptly. In particular, the relationship between the Chief and the Police Department he leads - as well as with the community - has deteriorated beyond repair. Relationships between employers and employees come down to fit and leadership style and unfortunately, Chief Acevedo is not the right fit for this organization.
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It is now time to move forward with the search for new leadership at MPD. Assistant Police Chief Manny Morales will be appointed as interim chief as the City engages in the search for a permanent replacement.”
Last week, Acevedo delivered a 24-page report to Noriega on how to reduce gun violence, boost morale and improve relationships with city commissioners.
In the report, Acevedo admitted to making some mistakes and perhaps moving too quickly to implement certain changes.
Acevedo’s hiring was announced in March while he was serving in the same role in Houston, Texas.
He was sworn in as Miami Police Chief in April.
Late Monday, as word of his suspension was announced, Acevedo wrote an email to staff, saying, in part:
“I promise to continue to fight the good fight to rid MPD of the political interference from city hall that unfortunately continues to negatively impact this organization.”
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