Houston's new police chief pledges to lead by developing relationships within community

HOUSTON – Houston’s new police chief, Art Acevedo, says his time spent on the streets and in the community will determine his success.

"I'm excited, man. It's going to be a lot of fun. If I fail, it won't be the result of lack of effort or a lack of character,” Acevedo said.

He said one of his first tasks as police chief is to earn the respect of his officers and of the community.

He said his managers would always wear their uniforms.

"This is how we market our department. We are police officers. Notice I'm wearing a Sam Brown. And my expectation with my team is when it starts hitting the fan out there, we need to be able to run out of the building and help our patrol officers," he said.

He said future police academy graduations would include uniform inspections.

Acevedo is active on Twitter @ArtAcevedo.

He closely monitors and responds, personally, to social media.

"If I see something and it ain't right, I will respond," Acevedo said.

He said he brought Twitter to the Austin Police Department.

"I cannot reach more than two million people in this city. Regional, six million. No one's living on an island. And build that trust and familiarity. And I think that familiarity builds trust. Without the help of social media and mainstream media. And the newspaper. We have to use every avenue available to us to start building relationships," he told KPRC2.

He said he prefers to meet people one on one.

A close personal friend and former coworker said Acevedo rarely meets a stranger.

"You have to be in the field. You have to be in the community. You have to be engaged. And that's how I plan on leading. The less time I spend here, the more effective I'm going to be," he said.