Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo speaks out against bathroom bills at a press conference on the steps of the state capitol on July 25, 2017. Credit: Austin Price/The Texas TribuneHouston Police Chief Art Acevedo is leaving his helm to lead the Miami Police Department after holding the position for five years, he announced in a press conference. AdAcevedo will be the third major police chief in Texas to depart after a year marked by protests against police violence. Last month, Austin Police Chief Brian Manley said he is retiring after 30 years with the department. Miami Mayor Francis Suarez told the Miami Herald “this is like getting the Tom Brady or the Michael Jordan of police chiefs.”Acevedo will lead a force of nearly 1,400 officers in Miami compared to Houston’s force of over 5,200 officers. He will replace former Miami police chief Jorge Colina, who retired in February.

FILE - In this March 21, 2018 file photo, Austin Police Chief Brian Manley briefs the media in the Austin suburb of Round Rock, Texas. Austin officials said Friday, Feb. 12, 2021, that Manley is stepping down after leading the police force since May of 2018. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)AUSTIN, Texas – The police chief in the Texas capital city of Austin, who had been at the center of ongoing criticism following a fatal police shooting and controversial uses of force by officers, announced Friday that he is retiring after 30 years with the department. Austin Police Chief Brian Manley said he knows in his heart “it is time to pursue that next opportunity” and does not think he could give the attention necessary to leading the police force as he has done since May 2018. The city announced in December that 11 Austin police officers had been disciplined for their actions during late May protests.

Austin Police Chief Brian Manley is retiring, the city manager told city leadership in a memo Friday. He will be leaving his post at the end of March after 30 years with the department and a growing call for his firing from City Council and community members. While Floyd’s death prompted nationwide protests last summer, Austin demonstrators also held signs for Ramos. During the first weekend of protests, Austin officers injured dozens of demonstrators, including seriously wounding several people protesting nonviolently. With the lack of new cadets, Manley pulled officers from specialized units and put more police on patrol.

AUSTIN, Texas – A police officer in Austin shot and killed a man who was holding a child and woman hostage after breaking into their home, authorities said. The 21-year-old man was holding the boy in front of him “in a hostage position” when a SWAT officer opened fire, killing the man, Austin Police Chief Brian Manley said. The 10-year-old boy and the woman weren't injured in the Wednesday night standoff, Manley said. The man then opened fire on responding officers, who were not struck by gunfire, he said. The investigation is still in its early stages, Manley said, but authorities don’t believe there was any connection between the man and the two people he held hostage.

AUSTIN, Texas – An Austin police officer fatally shot a driver early Tuesday after a series of events that began when the driver pointed a gun at another officer who was off duty at the time, authorities said. The man who was killed was 27-year-old Alexander Gonzales, the Austin Police Department said in a statement. Police Chief Brian Manley said the off-duty officer told authorities he was driving home early Tuesday in his personal vehicle when another driver cut him off. That officer said the driver then pointed a gun at him, so he fired into the vehicle, Manley said. Both have been placed on paid administrative leave in accordance with Austin Police Department policy.

AUSTIN, Texas – Eleven Austin police officers have been disciplined for their actions during late May protests over racial injustice following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, the city announced Wednesday. Austin Police Department Chief Brian Manley completed his review of all known complaints and incidents involving his officers during the demonstrations, according to a statement released by the city. The city did not detail the punishments for the 11 officers or the specific complaints that led to the reviews. In Austin, two protesters were hospitalized with head injuries after being shot by police with less lethal munitions. In June, Austin City Council members heard hours of testimony from residents on police use of force on protestors, including pepper spray and less lethal munitions.

The Austin Police Department will no longer cite and arrest people solely for possessing a misdemeanor amount of marijuana, according to a Thursday police memo. The distinction caused numerous prosecutors to drop hundreds of marijuana cases and stopped accepting new ones, arguing they could not tell the difference between the two without unavailable lab testing. The number of new marijuana cases filed by prosecutors in the state dropped by more than half in six months. In January, the Austin City Council approved a resolution to stop arresting or ticketing people for most low-level marijuana possession offenses. At the time, Manley said though cracking down on those possessing a small amount of marijuana was never a priority, police would continue to cite or arrest people if officers “come across it.”But on Thursday, that policy was changed.

Austin Police Chief Brian Manley will stay in his position, a city spokesperson confirmed in an email Thursday. “I have had very pointed conversations with Chief Manley over the last several weeks,” City Manager Spencer Cronk also said in the email. “He has assured me he is sincerely committed to making the reforms necessary.”Local activists have called for Manley to be fired, but the police chief cannot be fired, per state law. Instead, he can only be demoted to the position he held before chief, and the only person who has the power to do that is Cronk. “I believe the honorable thing would be for you to resign,” Council Member Greg Casar told Manley earlier this month.

Others recounted firsthand how officers tear-gassed, pepper sprayed and shot at them with rubber bullets and bean bag rounds, even as they were protesting peacefully. As the meeting continued Thursday evening, people gathered at police headquarters for another demonstration, this one focused on Austin police officers inflicting injuries on previous protesters. While rubber bullets and bean bag rounds have been touted as less lethal by law enforcement, Austin officers injured protesters with them during the demonstrations against police brutality. Police also shot 16-year-old Brad Levi Ayala in the forehead with a bean bag round. The sole black council member, Natasha Harper-Madison, was the last to give remarks before the public comment period began.

Austin Police Chief Brian Manley speaks during a news conference near the scene where a woman was injured in a package bomb explosion, in Austin on March 12, 2018. REUTERS/Sergio FloresMultiple Austin City Council members said they lost faith in Police Chief Brian Manley on Friday and some asked him to resign following his handling of the ongoing protests against police brutality spurred by the death of George Floyd. Countless protesters had called in to the virtual city council meeting on Thursday, which Manley and City Manager Spencer Cronk also attended, to demand the police chief resign or be fired. Despite protesters' demands, the City Council doesn't have the authority to outright fire Manley, and neither does the city manager. Cronk can only demote Manley to his rank before he became department head.

AUSTIN, Texas A black activist who was critically injured after he was shot by Austin police with less-lethal ammunition has been identified by family as Justin Howell, a 20-year-old Texas State University student who recently graduated from Communications Arts High School in San Antonio. GoFundMe information for Taft Band alumni Justin Howell injured in Austin this week. Texas State President Denise Trauth also issued a statement on Twitter confirming Howell is currently a student. Today, I learned one of our students, Justin Howell, was critically injured in a protest in Austin on Sunday, May 31. Howell blasted Manley in the op-ed for failing to take responsibility or apologize to his family and the group of protesters carrying his brother.

Austin police critically injured a 20-year-old black protester Sunday, according to Police Chief Brian Manley, during a weekend filled with Texas demonstrations and violence. In Austin, protesters also demonstrated for Michael Ramos, an unarmed black man who was shot to death by an Austin police officer in late April. On Monday, Manley addressed videos circulating on social media of force used by his officers at protests during the weekend. One of the officers fired less-lethal munition at that individual apparently but it struck this victim instead. Rubber bullets were also seen on the ground during Austin protests this weekend.