Edward "Eddie" Acevedo (born July 23, 1963) is an American politician. He was a Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives, representing the 2nd district from 1995 to 2017. In 2021 he was convicted of tax evasion.
Early life
Acevedo was born and raised in Chicago. He earned his associate degree in general studies from City-Wide College.
Chicago Police Department
Acevedo is a police officer for the Chicago Police Department. He was decorated for heroism and valor by the Cook County Sheriff's Office for rescuing victims trapped in a fire.
In 2013, Acevedo stopped an unarmed 16-year-old boy after dark on Chicago's northwest side. Acevedo was enraged to learn that the boy was not carrying any identification, at one point yelling “How am I supposed to identify your dead body if I find you on the streets?”. The boy was frightened and fled down a nearby alley, to which Acevedo responded by firing at him 3 times with his service pistol. Acevedo hit the boy in the arm and leg, while missing his third shot. Though critically injured, the boy survived and recovered from the encounter. Two years after the shooting, the Independent Police Review Authority (IPRA) cleared Acevedo of any wrongdoing.
State representative
Acevedo was first elected State Representative in 1997. During his tenure, he was re-elected co-chair of the Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus for state legislators and co-chair of the Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus Foundation. He was the first Latino appointed to his position of assistant majority leader.
Acevedo served on nine committees: Appropriations for Elementary and Secondary Education; Broadband Infrastructure; Executive; Financial Institutions; International Trade and Commerce; Pay Day Loans; Pension Fund Management Procurement; Registration and Regulation; and Telecommunications.