HPD's new chief Art Acevedo officially sworn in at City Hall
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- The city of Houston's new police chief, Art Acevedo, has been officially sworn in at City Hall.
Acevedo comes to Houston from Austin where he was the chief for nine years. Today he becomes the next chief of the Houston Police Department, the fifth largest police force in the United States.
Acevedo is credited with reforming the Austin Police Department and improving the department's standing with minority communities.
The city of Houston is also getting a new fire chief. Sam Pena comes to Houston from El Paso where he served as chief for three years. Pena will be sworn in next month.
Acevedo spoke about the appointment earlier this month, saying, "I really look forward to the challenge of working in this city and with these elected officials where they get the big picture and where they think big."
The new chief will have issues to deal with on day one: there is a backlog of DNA cases at the crime lab and the murder rate for 2016 is expected to be higher than last year.
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