Miami Police Chief Art Acevedo will have to present the city manager with a game plan for not only combatting crime but for interacting with the media and for moving forward with commissioners that he has accused of misconduct and is locked in battle with.
City Manager Art Noriega also wants Acevedo — who is now accused of having crashed his police vehicle and failing to report it — to provide an evaluation of himself in his first six months as top cop in Miami.
All this seems like the back story to the termination that is coming and that some commissioners have said is warranted. It sounds like Noriega — who already said the chief “failed to navigate the politics” — is laying the groundwork for Acevedo to fall short professionally as well. That way they can try to avoid his dismissal being called a political lynching (because it is).
Noriega’s memo Thursday followed Monday’s special commission meeting called by Commissioner Joe Carollo to discuss Acevedo’s actions — including accusations of misconduct by him and two of his colleagues — and his future in the city.
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Noriega mentioned the memo on Friday, during a second special meeting, when Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla asked what Acevedo has done other than promote himself and piss them off. He said the memo covers a “number of initiatives and strategies he has to have by Monday.”
Basically, what he hasn’t done that he should have done.
“Given recent events, I am concerned about the operational readiness of the Miami Police Department (MPD),” Noriega wrote in the memo. “These events have given the public cause to question the MPD’s effectiveness in its operations and necessary community relationships.
“The very public, personal attacks and insensitive comments which permeate national media have decreased officer morale, and continues to threaten the public’s confidence in the ability of the MPD to carry out directives related to public safety,” he continued, asking for the chief to provide an action plan by close of business Monday that address a polling plan, a management plan, department morale, Acevedo’s role with the media and, most notably, his relationships with the commissioners.
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“Please address how you plan to repair your relationships with our elected officials to, again, ensure that the MPD can collegially work alongside our policy makers to effectively protect and serve our community,” Noriega wrote, adding that he wants the chief to identify a 30-day, 60-day and 90-day timeframe “for implementation and provide quantifiable metrics for evaluating said implementation.”
That’s an invitation to fail.
Then came the pau pau judgement: “I believe you lack certain sensitivity training and cultural awareness with regard to this community and its residents,” Noriega wrote.
“While in the past you have not always been receptive to my advice, I believe now is the time to follow my counsel. Adhering to same is in the best interest of the City, the Administration, and the organization as a whole. I look forward to receiving your action plan and working together to implement same.”
Yeah, sure. Who is he kidding? There’s no way we can come back to being a happy city family after the last couple of weeks. Acevedo has to move out.
And Noriega must know that Mayor Francis Suarez and former Congressman Carlos Curbelo, his $5,000-a-month consultant, are trying to negotiate a clean exit for the chief so the headlines stop. One would think they’d sell advertising for the increased audience they have watching the meetings online now. A new revenue stream for the city! But no.
The mayor doesn’t like to share the spotlight and it is getting in the way of the tech boy convention.
Miami City Manager Art Noriega gives Police Chief a deadline for certain tasks. by Political Cortadito on Scribd
Miami Police Chief Art Acevedo gets memo from manager = cover for firing added by Ladra on
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