The head of the Dallas chapter of the United Latino Law Enforcement Association said the city has made an offer to Chief Eddie Garcia.
DALLAS — City leaders have presented Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia with a proposal to keep him in Dallas, and a rank-and-file officer says the idea is under consideration amid growing interest from Houston and Austin officials. The presidents of the associations representing the group made the announcement on Friday.
Jorge Aranda, director of Dallas' National Latino Law Enforcement Agency, said Garcia could take up the offer as early as Monday morning, adding that Interim City Manager Kim Tolbert said he would “offer everything.” “I did my best,” he added.
Officials did not provide details of the offer to Garcia, but Aranda said he had been told recent discussions were positive. Still, he cautioned, “It's not over until it's over.”
Officials told WFAA senior crime and justice reporter Rebecca Lopez on Wednesday that Houston and Austin are among the cities courting Garcia. Aranda said Los Angeles has also expressed interest in the chief.
“He is the greatest chief in America today, and the whole country knows it,” Dallas Police Association President Jaime Castro said. “We can't afford to lose Director Garcia.”
Mr. Aranda, Mr. Castro and Lt. Gov. Paul Tai of the Asian Peace Officers Association held a press conference Friday urging city leaders and residents to show support for Mr. Garcia. Aranda said this is the first time in memory that the police association has come together to promote the retention of a police chief, rather than to express dissatisfaction with him.
“Everyone is very happy right now, and that speaks to his leadership,” Aranda said.
Tai said Garcia's departure would be “devastating.”
Garcia was hired as Dallas' city manager in 2021, but is currently an at-will employee under the city manager, meaning he can leave the position at any time.
Sources say Dallas may need to offer him a contract to keep him. However, Dallas' city charter currently does not allow the police chief to be contract-based.
“Let's fix it if we have to,” Aranda said.
As of last month, Garcia's base salary was $306,440 a year, according to city records.
He said city leaders are considering alternatives to retain Garcia, such as employment contracts aimed at improving crime rates, police retention, and recruiting new hires, as well as performance-based bonuses. He said there was.
“From what I've heard from Ms. Tolbert, she's been trying as hard as she can,” Aranda said.
The stakes in this deal are high for Tolbert. Tolbert is widely believed to be running as a candidate for permanent city manager.
“If she retains Secretary Garcia, this will be a feather in her cap,” Aranda said.
In response to the WFAA report, Tolbert issued a statement Wednesday night telling other cities interested in Garcia to “turn around and go home.”
The city of Houston expressed interest in hiring Garcia as police chief Wednesday after city officials accepted Chief Troy Finner's retirement.
Finner's resignation will create an opening in a department that employs about 5,300 officers and more than 1,000 civilian employees. By comparison, the Dallas Police Department has about 3,200 officers and about 600 civilian employees.
Houston officials have not yet named a potential replacement for Finner, and Garcia has not commented on his possible connection to opening day in Houston.
Austin's interest in Garcia stems from a vacancy in the city's chief position since former Mayor Joseph Chacon stepped down in August, and because the former Dallas city manager who hired Garcia It comes as manager TC Broadnax becomes Austin city manager starting this week. .
A spokesperson for the city of Austin told WFAA, “The search for a police chief has not yet begun, so there are no candidates at this time.”
Data released by the Dallas Police Department shows crime in the city is at its lowest level in six years, and homicides are down 26 percent compared to the same time last year.
Garcia has been working to hire more officers, but DPD is still short by about 800 officers. The department is also struggling to improve response times. To help with this, Garcia has made it mandatory for some non-emergency complaints to be reported online.
