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Popular Dallas police chief is leaving for city hall role in Austin

Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia

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Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia is leaving his position for a role as assistant city manager in Austin. According to a memo from Austin city manager T.C. Broadnax, Garcia will start his new role on November 4.

The memo, first posted by KXAN, states that Garcia will oversee the public safety portfolio, which is comprised of Austin Fire, Austin Police, Austin/Travis County Emergency Medical Services, Downtown Austin Community Court, Forensic Science, and Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

Garcia has been with the Dallas Police Department since February 2021, and is credited with reducing crime as well as restoring an atmosphere of accountability and transparency, following troubled tenures of prior chiefs Renee Hall and David Brown.

The memo from Broadnax, the former Dallas city manager who brought Garcia to Dallas in the first place, cited Garcia's 30-plus years of experience in public safety and his accomplishments with the Dallas Police Department including his bringing in experts to study use of force, working with criminologists to develop a Crime Plan, and supporting the formation of a community Advisory Board.

"His energetic hands-on leadership style, along with 21st Century Policing practices, has taken the criminal elements off the streets in an unbiased way and reduced crime while maintaining the support of his command," the memo said.

Garcia has been so well regarded that, when word circulated in May that he was being courted both by Austin and Houston, he was given an incentive package designed to keep him in Dallas until 2027.

In a statement, Garcia said, "This has not been an easy choice, as my time in service has been deeply meaningful and fulfilling. ... Deciding to step away from this profession has been one of the most challenging decisions of my life. Law enforcement has shaped who I am, providing me with a strong sense of purpose, responsibility, and camaraderie."

Dallas Mayor Eric L. Johnson and interim Dallas City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert released a joint statement, calling Garcia "the right leader at the right time."

"We are immensely grateful to Chief Garcia for his dedicated service and unwavering commitment to the safety of our residents," the statement said. "While we are sorry to see him go, we also know that big city police chiefs never stick around forever. We are fortunate to have had a capable, committed, experienced, and innovative police chief these last three and a half years. We wish him the best of luck on his next journey."

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Politics News

Dallas narrows down field for new city manager to 4 candidates

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This is an Dallasite's sign to launch that small business they've been dreaming of.

After six months without a city manager, the city of Dallas has narrowed down the field of replacements to four semifinalists including one serving as current interim city manager, plus candidates from Fort Worth, Michigan, and Georgia.

Dallas has been without a city manager since May, when previous city manager T.C. Broadnax left to take a job with the city of Austin. Since that time, Broadnax's former chief of staff Kimberly Bizor Tolbert has served as interim city manager.

The city retained Baker Tilly, a consulting firm, to recruit and compile candidates. (Baker Tilly famously erred in the brochure it created for the position by featuring a photo of the Houston skyline instead of Dallas; they've since replaced it with Dallas.)

A spokesperson for Baker Tilly did not respond to inquiries but according to D Magazine, an email listing the candidates has been sent to the Dallas City Council.

The semifinalists include:

Kimberly Bizor Tolbert, Dallas’ current interim city manager
William Johnson, an assistant city manager in Fort Worth
Mark Washington, the city manager of Grand Rapids, Michigan
Zachary Williams, a county chief operating officer in Georgia

All have more than 25 years' of public administration experience and have worked in similar capacities in their respective cities.

Before working in Fort Worth, Johnson was Baltimore’s transportation director and Atlanta’s deputy chief operating officer and public works commissioner.

Washington worked in Fort Worth and Austin before becoming Grand Rapids’ city manager.

Williams has mostly worked in Georgia at the county level, including serving as county manager in Fulton County and chief operating officer in DeKalb County.

Tolbert began working for the city in 1998, first as the city manager’s assistant and later in the aviation department. Broadnax hired her as his chief of staff in 2017.

Unlike the Mayor and the Dallas City Council, the city manager position in Dallas is not elected but is instead appointed by the city council, and is tasked with executing policies, overseeing the annual budget, and managing staff at city hall.

The council’s Ad Hoc Committee will choose finalists, introduce them to the public, and make an offer in early 2025.

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