Interim City Manager Kim Tolbert said in a news release that Garcia has agreed to a plan to remain in Dallas until at least mid-2027.
DALLAS — Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia will remain in the city after receiving interest in recruiting chiefs from both Houston and Austin, officials announced Thursday.
Interim City Manager Kim Tolbert said in a news release that Garcia has agreed to a plan to remain in Dallas until at least mid-2027. Mr. Garcia's salary will remain at $306,440.40, but he will receive a $10,000 retention bonus every six months starting in November of this year.
In return, Garcia has promised to remain in Dallas until at least May 2027. Additionally, if Dallas city management decides to terminate Garcia “for convenience” before then, Garcia will be paid one year's salary, the news release said.
Garcia will not receive compensation if he resigns from his position, is fired “for the performance of his personal duties,” or is convicted of a crime.
“It was complicated, but we were able to get it done,” Tolbert said. “If this were NFL football, we could have kept Coach Garcia with our team in Dallas. He's the right quarterback to lead our police department. We didn't want to lose him to free agency. I'm sure it was.”
Garcia said in a statement that Dallas is “the perfect place to carry out my mission.”
“Living and working in Dallas means loving Dallas,” Garcia said. “This is the right place to do my job, and I know that our police officers are honored to serve the people of Dallas. We will continue to do our jobs with great results. I will continue.”
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson praised Garcia and his decision to stay in a statement.
“Dallas is fortunate to have such a talented and dedicated police chief at the helm of our police department,” Johnson said. “Secretary Garcia’s dedication to Dallas has been invaluable in driving significant improvements in the city’s public safety. His leadership and data-driven strategies have led to record reductions in violent crime, and Dallas It has created trust throughout the community.”
Several Dallas police associations, including the Dallas Police Association, the National Latino Law Enforcement Organization (NLLEO), and the Asian Peace Officers Association, held a press conference last week calling on city leaders to find a way to retain Garcia and expressing interest. It is said that they were collected. from Houston and Austin, about his public chief role there.
NNLEO's George Aranda said in a statement to WFAA:
“We are pleased with the efforts of the city, city leaders, and especially City Manager Kim Tolbert in presenting a plan to retain Mayor Eddie Garcia. Community, City of Dallas , and through his leadership and dedication to the rank and file of the Dallas Police Department, he is clearly the right person to continue leading this department in the right direction.”
Houston's interest in hiring Garcia comes after the city accepted Chief Troy Finner's retirement last week.
Finner's resignation creates a vacancy 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 candidate to replace Finner, and Garcia has not commented on Finner's possible connection to the season opener.
Austin's interest in Garcia stems from the fact that the city's chief executive position has been vacant since former Mayor Joseph Chacon stepped down in August, and because of the former Dallas city manager who hired Garcia. The name comes from TC Broadnax, who is currently Austin's city manager.
