Attention shifted Friday to who might next lead the Dallas Police Department when police chief Eddie Garcia leaves in November for Austin.
While internal candidates at DPD are likely for the interim job, the path to hire a new permanent police chief resides with the city manager.
It’s a position Dallas is looking to hire too amid an uncertain political climate.
While his final day as Dallas Police chief remained unclear Friday, attention already turning to who may replace Eddie Garcia as he heads to Austin as its assistant city manager in November.
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Rene Martinez is president of LULAC Council 100 in Dallas and served on the search committee that led to Garcia’s hiring four years ago.
“Anything less than Eddie is going to be maybe not acceptable,” Martinez said.“The last go round we had two, three people from within that were really good.”
“It was close. They’re all gone.”
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Dallas' last interim police chief was Lonzo Anderson, who continued with DPD, rising to executive assistant chief in Garcia’s leadership team. Anderson left DPD in June to become assistant city manager in San Marcos.
Garcia said when he was hired in December 2020 his goal would be to stay for five years and promote the next chief from within, signaling the need to hire an outside candidate would indicate the department needed major change.
In Dallas, the city manager hires the chief of police and the city council hires the city manager.
When Garcia exits for Austin, both permanent jobs will be open.
As Dallas’ interim city manager, Kimberly Bizor Tolbert will appoint an interim police chief in the coming weeks.
While it’s expected Tolbert will apply for the permanent job, District 9 city councilmember Paula Blackmon says the timing of when she and her 14 city council colleagues might hire a city manager could be complicated by the upcoming election.
The November ballot includes an amendment to the city’s charter that, if voters approve, would allow the city manager to be fired based on results of a community survey.
“With these uncertainties around there, I don’t know what professional would want to come to this city to work,” Blackmon said.
“You probably should have a permanent city manager before you then hire a police chief.”
A city council committee has indicated the goal is to hire a new city manager by the end of the year.
City council’s unanimous budget approval this week signaled strong support for Tolbert’s work so far, but whether an interim city manager will oversee hiring Dallas’ next full-time police chief is less clear.
“What if you (as the interim city manager) make me (as police chief candidate) an offer and then you don’t get the job,” Martinez said Friday. “It’s kind of awkward.”
Meaning the time between Garcia’s exit and the next permanent police chief could last into next year.
