DPD News

Dallas Police Department's newly hired chief is first Latino in the role

New chief will begin his duties in February.

Courtesy photo

Dallas has a new police chief: According to a release from city manager T.C. Broadnax, Eddie Garcia will become Dallas' 30th Chief of Police, as well as the first Latino to preside over the ninth largest police department in the country.

Garcia comes from the San Jose Police Department, where he has served as Chief since 2016.

He replaces U. Renee Hall, who resigned in September after three years. He won the appointment from a field of seven finalists that included three officers already on staff: Assistant Police Chief Avery Moore, Major Malik Aziz, and Deputy Chief Reuben Ramirez.

He'll begin his duties on February 3, 2021.

Garcia holds a bachelor's degree from Union Institute and University and began his career with the San Jose Police Department in 1992.

During his tenure in San Jose, he worked in the Patrol, Narcotics, Special Operations - M.E.R.G.E (Mobile Emergency Response Group and Equipment) unit; was a patrol sergeant, night detective, and homicide investigator; and commanded the Community Services Division and the Special Investigations Unit.

He led initiatives to help build community trust, increase transparency, and embrace fair, impartial, and constitutional policing. He also implemented basic Spanish in the police academy, launched a Spanish language Facebook page, and increased minority recruiting.

"My story began as a young boy moving to a new city, learning to speak English in a community that promoted me to Chief," he says in a statement. "It's an honor to be welcomed into one of America's greatest cities for the second time as Chief."

"I'm truly humbled by the thought of wearing the DPD uniform and working alongside such an amazing group of committed men and women," he says. "Together in partnership and collaboration with the Dallas community, we will meet the challenges of today and beyond."

More than 55 community and business organizations participated in panel interviews of the top seven candidates. Broadnax, who made the final call, says in the release that the hiring process was "inclusive, equitable and transparent."

"Despite the challenges of the global pandemic, it’s an exciting time for him to come to Dallas and continue building on the foundation of R.E.A.L. Change we’ve built – advancing 21st Century policing in ways that are responsible, equitable, actionable, and legitimate," Broadnax says.

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happy go lucky plano

Dallas neighbor dazzles on new list of happiest cities in America

Photo courtesy of Visit Plano

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A new happiness study has ranked Plano one of the happiest cities in America this year, and it once again landed on top as the happiest city in Texas.

Plano has moved up on the list and ranks as the 16th happiest U.S. city in 2026. Last year, it was 17th.

WalletHub determined the happiest cities in America based on 29 relevant metrics based on "positive-psychology research" across three main categories: emotional and physical wellbeing, income and employment, and community and environment. As with most WalletHub studies, it compared the 182 most populous U.S. cities.

Fremont, California claimed the top spot as the happiest city nationwide for another year. Bismark, North Dakota and Scottsdale, Arizona, respectfully, rounded out the top three.

Here's how WalletHub ranked Plano across the three key dimensions:

No. 15 – Emotional and physical wellbeing
No. 22 – Community and environment
No. 72 – Income and employment

Plano and its residents have continued improving their city year after year, whether its through opening new bakeries and restaurants, inviting fun pop-ups for locals, or having a strong job market.

Plano's happiness far outshines the rest of North Texas; according to WalletHub, Irving is the 70th happiest city in the country, the third-happiest in Texas, and the second-happiest city in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro. Garland ranked farther behind as No. 92 nationally, and more DFW cities ranked even lower: Grand Prairie (No. 106), Dallas (No. 111), Fort Worth (No. 113), and Arlington (No. 119).

The report additionally found that Dallasites spend the third-most amount of time at work in the nation. The city ranked No. 180 in the national analysis of U.S. cities with the "fewest work hours."

WalletHub also emphasized that money doesn't buy happiness — after a certain point.

"For decades, researchers have explored the science of happiness and identified several core factors, including mental well-being, physical health, strong social ties, job satisfaction, and financial stability," the report said. "Still, income has its limits — studies show that earning more than $75,000 a year does not lead to greater happiness."

Six-figure earners in Plano aren't necessarily as happy as those who don't make as much, as a separate financial study from SmartAsset revealed these big earners are only taking home about $72,653 after taxes and adjusted for the cost of living.

This is how other Texas cities ranked in the report:

No. 39 – Austin
No. 128 – Houston
No. 135 – Lubbock
No. 137 – El Paso
No. 140 – Laredo
No. 143 – Amarillo
No. 150 – Brownsville
No. 154 – San Antonio
No. 155 – Corpus Christi

wallethub plano reports