'Hard to follow'

“They want to work with the chief, but there have been so many issues,” Casaday said. “You can see the way they were treated on the audio recording. It would be very hard to follow a leader like that, that accepts no feedback and says your morale doesn’t mean anything to me. If I treated my employees like that, I wouldn’t have any employees.”

Casaday described the overall relationship between Acevedo and the commanders as one of distrust.

“The commanders share the belief that at some point one of those slips will be a major issue that will bring embarrassment or some type of action upon the Department,” Crochet wrote.

Casaday cited a 2014 memo written by then-Cmdr. Phil Crochet, who said he was writing on behalf of the group, that challenged an organizational staffing plan by Acevedo about commander assignments. They complained it could hinder their ability to properly manage “all of their responsibilities” and suggested that when Acevedo doesn’t listen to their advice, he courts disaster.

Cpl. Ken Casaday, president of the Austin Police Association, said for at least the past couple of years, some commanders have complained they do not have a voice with Acevedo, who they say is resistant to their ideas. In exchange, when he enlists their support to help influence the troops, they are less likely to follow his lead in helping shape the department.

Fatima Mann of Austin Justice Coalition speaks during a Black Women Matter protest at Austin City Hall on Aug. 4, after the Breaion King arrest videos came to light. ( RODOLFO GONZALEZ / AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

The issue of police culture has been on the national forefront in the past two years after several high-profile and controversial police shootings that have galvanized many citizens to call for reforms in law enforcement.

Police leadership experts say a tight relationship between Acevedo and his closest leaders is key to Acevedo’s future and in establishing a department that mirrors his views and standards set by the community.

“It is incredibly important that people be listened to,” said Lauren C. Anderson, a former FBI executive and law enforcement consultant. “You aren’t always going to get the outcome you want, but it is important that you were listened to, and that has to go in every direction. If it doesn’t, it’s going to fail.”

Acevedo has publicly said he is working to ferret out commanders who are blocking his path to progress. In the past two years, the department’s internal affairs division has opened 11 investigations involving commanders, and several have retired. Details of those cases were not available; six ended with reprimands.

Even with chiefs and commanders moving in step with each other, experts say changing the culture of an organization can be challenging.

Anderson said agencies must still battle against a culture in which officers are often inclined to protect each other even when one has possibly erred.

“But you can’t force it,” she said. “You have to get buy in, and to get buy in, you have to have an open and honest conversation behind closed doors about why it’s important. I have found that as a leader, you can’t just command change to occur.”

(In title photo: Acevedo joined local activists Feb. 11 to talk about the death of 17-year-old David Joseph for the first time since the teenager was shot and killed by an officer in Northeast Austin.)