Former Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia among finalists for Fort Worth police chief
Former Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia is one of four finalists to be the police chief in Fort Worth. The three others include interim Police Chief Robert Alldredge, former Dallas Police Deputy Chief Vernon Hale III and Los Angeles Police Deputy Chief Emada Tingirides, the city announced Tuesday morning.
In September 2024, Garcia left his position before his agreement with Dallas ended in May 2027 for a city management role in Austin as assistant city manager, overseeing public safety.
In a statement issued at the time, Garcia said he was retiring from his career in law enforcement. During the spring of 2024, there was speculation about other Texas cities wanting Garcia as their chief of police.
CBS News Texas previously reported that Houston was courting Garcia to take over its police department after the departure of its chief.
In an interview with CBS News Texas earlier this year, Garcia shared that Dallas would be his last go-around as a police chief.
Who is Former Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia
Puerto Rican-born Garcia was appointed to the position in 2021. He was the first Latino to serve as Dallas Police chief in the department's 140-year history.
One of his goals when he joined the department was to reduce violent crime. Data shows overall violence has decreased by 19% since then.
Dallas' current Police Chief Daniel Comeaux was sworn in during a joint ceremony with Dallas Fire-Rescue Chief Justin Ball.
Comeaux is a former DEA agent in Houston and started his law enforcement career with the Houston Police Department. He said his top priorities are recruitment and going after criminals with felony warrants. He's also promised to give his roughly 300 officers and command staff a chance to prove themselves before making any major changes.
Interim Fort Worth Police Chief Robert Alldredge
The interim police chief has been with the department for over 25 years, most recently as the executive assistant chief. Alldredge took over after Neil Noakes retired in May.
Former Dallas Police Deputy Chief Vernon Hale III
Hale is known for his support of community policy. Hale started with the Dallas Police Department in 1992 and served as deputy chief of the Southeast Patrol Division and commander of the Dallas Underwater Recovery Team. Hale left DPD in 2017 to become the chief of police in Galveston.
Los Angeles Police Deputy Chief Emada Tingirides
Tingirides joined the LAPD in 1995 and has a reputation for community engagement and partnerships with underserved communities, according to the LAPD Community Partnership Bureau. Following a series of promotions, in August 2020, Tingirides became deputy chief and commanding officer of a new Community Safety Partnership Bureau, where she oversees nine CSP teams.
Fort Worth leaders react to finalists' list
"You went from one big city to another big city, and in less than a year, you're looking at a third big city. So one would have to question that," said Rev. Kyev Tatum, the pastor at New Mount Rose Church. "But, it's larger than just Garcia answering questions ... Everyone was surprised to see that three out of four of the candidates were minority candidates."
Tatum hopes one of the four finalists for the job will address what he says is a culture in Fort Worth of over policing and over-prosecuting minorities.
"The problem with the city, they ignore us and then they bring in people from the community, good people, but they don't have any institutional knowledge or depth or experience in this process," said Tatum.
Nettles said he wants a proven leader to take over for Neal Noakes, who retired in May.
"I'm looking for a chief that's going to come in and bring the morale back into the city for people who want to be a police officer, and they feel like they have an opportunity to advance in policing. And the next thing to achieve, along with that support, an oversight review board I think, is important."
Chris Nettles, Fort Worth City Council District 8, said Garcia will have to explain his decisions to leave the Dallas Police Department, after getting a hefty pay raise, for an assistant city manager job in Austin that he already seems ready to move on from.
"I have some feelings about certain candidates," said Nettles. "We have a candidate that has been here for over 25 years, that has a wealth of knowledge and experience. We have other candidates who, within the metroplex but have left. And, then those questions to be answered. Why - what was the reason behind that?"
But the head of the Dallas Police Association says he understands why Garcia may want to get back into law enforcement.
"Once a cop, you're always a cop. It's a career that's really hard to let go," said Jaime Castro, the Dallas Police Association President. "It is something that I think everyone's going to have to see the bigger picture and the bigger picture is that this is good for the metroplex
