High profile police chief takes the reins at one of Colorado's most troubled departments

There is a new man in charge at the Aurora Police Department; Art Acevedo who is known as a high-profile police chief. He says he's admired the men and women of APD ever since their response to the Aurora theater shooting. 

"There's a lot of heroes in this department," Acevedo said. 

He has been police chief in Austin Texas, Houston Texas and Miami, Florida. He gained national attention for being vocal about police reform and marching with protesters after the murder of George Floyd.  

Last year, Acevedo was fired from his job in Miami abruptly. He is suing that department saying he was fired for being a whistleblower. This is his first job in policing since then but he thinks his experience will help him in his new role. 

"Houston, the most diverse big city, the most diverse city in Colorado in terms of Austin. It reminds me of a city it's very, it's growing very quickly," he said. "I'm here to make a good department better." 

In the past few years, the Aurora Police Department has been plagued by scandals, which sparked an investigation by the Colorado Attorney General's office and led to the city agreeing to a consent decree to improve policing and public safety. 

Acevedo sees the consent decree as a great opportunity. 

"Because it forces political leaders to invest in good policing," Acevedo said. 

Acevedo says he will do his part to improve policing by holding officers who make mistakes accountable. 

"You have a police chief is going to call balls and strikes. And when the officers are wrong, I'm going to let them know," Acevedo said. 

He also says he thinks officers don't get enough credit for the good they do, which is leading to difficulties recruiting and retaining officers. As police chief he wants to publicly give them that credit which he hopes will attract more officers. 

"As we tell the stories as we lift up the good officers as we showcase their good work, there are a lot more young people who say 'Hey, I will be part of that organization,'" he said. 

It's no small task to lead this department, but Acevedo says he's up for the challenge. He says based on his tenure so far, he has learned one thing he wants the people of Aurora to know. 

"The aurora police department is not broken. It's imperfect, like every human being on this planet," he said. "But on balance, they're doing great."