Dallas narrows its search for the next police chief to five candidates, including two with federal experience. A final decision is expected in April. NBC 5’s David Goins has the story.
The city of Dallas named five finalists to become the next police chief for a department of just over 3,100 officers.
The list includes finalists with experience in local and federal law enforcement, but who all started their careers with a police department at a city level.
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WATCH HEREDallas City Manager Kim Tolbert said a list of 25 candidates was reduced to the following five finalists:
Interim DPD Chief Michael Igo; DPD Assistant Chief Catrina Shead; Carrollton Chief of Police Roberto Arredondo; Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Daniel Comeaux of Houston; and former FBI Assistant Director Brian Boetig.
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SIGN UP The next chief will inherit a department that has seen the violent crime rate fall each year since 2021 but also will be tasked with adding officers after voters last November approved a measure requiring DPD to hire about 900 officers to reach 4,000 officers.
Rene Martinez with LULAC served on the community panel tasked with questioning finalists during the search for a police chief in 2020, a process that yielded the hiring of Eddie Garcia.
“Those shoes are going to be hard to fill but going out into the community, being able to speak to different communities,” Martinez said. “I’m looking at someone that’s going to hopefully have the ability to deal with a diverse community.”
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Dallas Mayor Pro Tem Tennell Atkins said he expects the next chief to build upon what former Chief Eddie Garcia started, like continuing to tackle violent crime. But said the strategy doesn’t have to look the same.
“The next one is going to have his own style. But also has to make sure they have the respect for the police associations, respect for the community and make sure our crime is going down,” Atkins said.
Tolbert released a statement that reads in in part:
“We will gain valuable insight into each candidate’s vision for continuing to make Dallas one of the safest large cities in the U.S., how they plan to attract and retain top talent, and innovate within the department.”
Atkins said it’s also up to candidates to prove themselves to the community.
“They’re going to say, ‘I want to be here for the long run, not for the short run,’” he said. “We gotta believe in him. We gotta believe in the next chief.”
The city said Friday the five finalists will be in Dallas between Monday, March 31, and Wednesday, April 2, meeting with community members before interviewing with City Manager Kim Tolbert.
Tolbert said she plans to make a hiring decision for the city's next police chief by the second week of April.
Biographies for each of the five DPD chief of police finalists are available ahead of the planned community meet and greets.
