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On this episode of the First Response Podcast, PepperBall CEO Bob Plaschke sits down with Chief Art Acevedo (Ret.) for a wide-ranging conversation on policing, leadership, public trust and what it means to serve with integrity.
Acevedo brings the perspective of a 37-year law enforcement career that included leadership roles in Austin, Houston, Miami and Aurora. His story begins long before he wore the badge. Born in Cuba and brought to the United States as a child, Acevedo grew up with a deep appreciation for freedom, service and the responsibility that comes with public trust.
That foundation shaped his view of policing. For Acevedo, the badge is not about power. It is about authority, responsibility and restraint. Officers are given extraordinary authority by the public, and that authority must be used with discipline, professionalism and respect.
One of the strongest themes in the conversation is leadership. Acevedo is direct about the reality of serving as a police chief: leaders should come to work to do the job, not keep the job. In his view, chiefs who are not willing to lose the position for doing the right thing should not take it in the first place.
He also discusses the difference between community policing and what he calls relational policing. Community policing often focuses on presence. Relational policing goes deeper. It recognizes that every contact with the public is the beginning of a relationship, even if it is the only contact that person ever has with an officer.
Acevedo frames that work through the acronym TREAT: transparency, respect, engagement, accountability and trust. The goal is not just to be visible in a community, but to build the emotional capital needed before a crisis occurs.
The conversation also touches on civil unrest, the role of non-lethal tools, and the importance of precise, disciplined response. Acevedo emphasizes that broad force can escalate a crowd, while more targeted options can help officers address specific threats while protecting the rights and safety of others.
For city leaders, police executives and officers alike, this episode is a reminder that public trust is not built in a press conference. It is built contact by contact, decision by decision, and leader by leader.
Listen to the full episode of First Response for more from Chief Art Acevedo on integrity, trust and the future of American policing.
