After more than three and a half years with the city, Dallas police Chief Eddie García is retiring, two law enforcement officials told The Dallas Morning News.
García is leaving Dallas to take on a public safety manager role in Austin. The decision comes as the Dallas Police Department navigates a year of change and recent crises.
Here’s what to know about García, his time in Dallas and his retirement.
Where is García going?
Garcia will become Austin’s top executive over public safety, which became open last month. He is following former Dallas City Manager T.C. Broadnax, who left Dallas for a job in Austin earlier this year.
The chief’s departure follows a tumultuous few weeks for the department. The department has been grieving officer Darron Burks, who was fatally shot last month as he sat in his squad car in southeast Oak Cliff. Two other officers were wounded but survived the shooting.
The departure comes at a time when Dallas is contending with proposed public safety charter amendments that have been mired in controversy. Police and fire officials also have been in tense discussions with the city over how to fix a $4 billion shortfall in the Dallas Police and Fire Pension system.
When was García hired?
Broadnax announced García’s hiring as Dallas’ police chief in December 2020.
The chief started in Dallas in February 2021, becoming the first Hispanic person to lead the nation’s ninth largest police force.
García, born in Puerto Rico and fluent in Spanish, had more than 30 years of experience as a cop in San Jose, Calif., where he climbed the ranks to chief before moving to North Texas.
He is a lifelong Dallas Cowboys fan.
City promised García he would be among highest-paid Texas law enforcement chiefs
The city committed to keeping García among the highest-paid Texas police chiefs earlier this year. He was given a $306,440.40 base salary and a $10,000 retention bonus every six months.
“To live and work in Dallas is to love Dallas,” García said after the agreement was announced. “This is the right place to complete my service.”
García will leave without collecting any of the bonuses.
Some city council members expressed disappointment Thursday in the chief’s decision to leave for Austin. The news of García’s departure came as a surprise to many, including his command staff.
After news circulated that García was being courted by other Texas cities earlier this year, police association leaders stood together at a news conference to advocate for retaining García — a moment they called “unprecedented.”
Chief said he intended to stay in Dallas until 2027
The news of García’s departure comes just four months after interim city manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert pledged he would stay in Dallas until at least mid-2027.
The News’ examination of an addendum to the chief’s offer letter revealed there was nothing showing García agreed to stay until May 2027.
The only mention of May 2027 is in a section that says García would get severance pay if he is fired without cause or ordered by the city manager to resign before then.
Even though the agreement does not explicitly say García commits to staying here, he said in June “that is the intent.”
Dallas chief’s goals included reducing violent crime
When he was hired, the chief succeeded former Chief U. Reneé Hall, whose tenure was marked by a rise in crime and contention with city officials and some police associations.
García has said his main goals included reducing violent crime, improving department morale and increasing community trust.
In May 2021, his violence reduction plan was unveiled, and he received widespread acclaim as the police department began reporting regular drops in violent crime.
Last year, as murders rose, he and city officials remained confident in the plan, which was created with criminologists and is based on the idea that small pockets of Dallas account for a disproportionate amount of its violence.
So far in 2024, violent crime has continued to fall in the city.
A growing reputation in Dallas
Historically, chiefs who have overseen the police department have faced opposition from powerful police associations and city officials. Garcia’s time as chief has been marked by praise from city and state leadership.
Garcia met regularly with police associations to discuss issues. After his first year, presidents from each group said they felt the chief listened to them and was fair. In 2022, García was elected president of the Major Cities Chiefs Association, an organization of police executives from the U.S. and Canada.
Garcia has also faced challenges. Ten days into his tenure, an officer was killed in a crash. In the chief’s second month, he fired an officer accused of ordering the killings of two people. A judge later ruled there wasn’t enough evidence to keep the former officer jailed and that officer recently settled with the city.
A city employee deleted more than eight million files of police data. When the loss became public, García and city staff said they didn’t realize the extent of the problem.
His department was questioned about officer staffing numbers at the City Council’s public safety meetings. Despite efforts to retain and recruit officers, the department currently has about 3,100, which is about 400 fewer than it had around 2014.
The department has also turned to mandating online reports for some lower-level crime with police response times that had begun to climb.
When is the Dallas chief’s last day?
García has previously stated his goal was to stay in Dallas for five years and to ensure his successor came from within the department. He added at the time that choosing an outsider is a sign the department needs change.
The chief will start in Austin on Nov. 4.
García has not spoken publicly about his departure. In a memo to his officers Thursday, the chief said he didn’t want them to find out this way, but said, “unfortunately, you cannot keep secrets.”
García said it wasn’t an easy choice and law enforcement has shaped who he is. The chief said he would provide more details in the coming days.
