MUSKEGON, Mich. — The City of Muskegon needs a new police chief, and a crowd showed up to city hall Tuesday night to meet the only candidate, Vincent Acevez.
He was officially offered the role Wednesday, City Manager Frank Peterson confirmed to 13 On Your Side.
Acevez was the sole finalist after Grand Haven's Director of Public Safety Jeff Hawke withdrew from consideration. The Chicago-area police officer answered questions from the community on a variety of topics Tuesday, from community engagement to racial profiling.
"I really wanted to see what our new police chief, possibly, was about," Michelle Tyson, Taking Back Muskegon Founder, says.
She was one of dozens of people wanting to hear from Acevez.
"I needed to know what his thoughts and views are, especially about racial profiling because we have a lot of that in Muskegon," Tyson says. "It hasn't been addressed, and it needs to be. And our youth gang problem has also increased in Muskegon as well."
While she and others in the crowd were satisfied with Acevez's answers to their questions, they wish that there were other candidates there, too.
"I think it would've been a good balance to see what both is all about," Tyson says.
"I like Vince," Muskegon resident Greg Borgman says. "But I think we need to search a little bit more and get other candidates."
Acevez has worked in law enforcement for about 25 years, mostly with the Cicero Police Department outside of Chicago. He worked mainly in gang violence and drug problems, prioritizing community collaboration.
"That allowed us as an organization, at Cicero Police Department, to have unbelievable results in terms of lowering our violent crime numbers [and] in terms of impacting and affecting young children's lives in the community," he says.
He believes that connecting with at-risk youth and improving communication with the public can bridge that gap.
"I've had the same cell phone number for 25 years, and I give it out to everybody," Acevez says. "When you respond to people, when you communicate with them, and when you're intentional about following up, that goes a long way towards building trust."
Early on in his career in 2003, Acevez was part of a federal lawsuit where a family accused him and three other officers of bursting into their home and beating them. It was settled by the city of Cicero, and two independent reviews later exonerated the officers.
"I didn't do anything wrong," he says.
Acevez received a Medal of Honor in 2004, after coming to the rescue of a man being robbed at gunpoint.
Community members also called on Acevez during the meet-and-greet to acknowledge the lack of trust between police and the Black community.
"The relationship between Black folk and police — people who are willing to explore that are going to ultimately be more effective," Muskegon resident Kwame James says.
If Acevez takes the job, he'd start sometime in late April or Early May to replace retiring Chief Jeffrey Lewis.
Watch the full interview below:
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