Less than six months after agreeing to an extension to stay in Dallas through May 2027, Chief of Police Eddie Garcia is leaving for Austin.
Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price confirmed to NBC 5 Thursday afternoon that Garcia is leaving the Dallas Police Department. Neither Garcia nor the department has issued a statement, and an interim chief has not been named.
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson and interim Dallas City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert did address Garcia's departure, saying Garcia was "the right leader at the right time for the Dallas Police Department" and that they now have a shared mission to build on his success and search for a new chief who can help make Dallas the safest major city in America.
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The city manager hires the chief of police. As the search for a permanent city manager continues in Dallas, the police department may be led by an interim chief for an extended time until both positions are filled.
Eddie Garcia
WHERE IS EDDIE GARCIA GOING?
Dallas Chief of Police Eddie Garcia appears to be headed to the state capitol to be the assistant city manager overseeing public safety.
In Austin, Garcia will report to a familiar face, City Manager T.C. Broadnax, who hired him in Dallas nearly four years ago. After a contentious relationship with the mayor, Broadnax resigned as Dallas City Manager in February and made the move to Austin in June.
In a statement to NBC 5 Thursday afternoon, Broadnax said he was excited to bring Garcia to Austin and add him to his executive team.
"I am excited to welcome Mr. Garcia as our new Assistant City Manager over public safety. His extensive experience and deep commitment to the communities he serves makes him the ideal leader to join my executive team," Broadnax said. "I am confident that under his leadership, our public safety efforts will continue to thrive and evolve to meet the needs of our growing city."
A reporter for the NBC affiliate in Austin shared a memo from Broadnax saying Garcia would oversee the city's public safety portfolio including Austin Police, Austin Fire, Austin/Travis County EMS, the Downtown Austin Community Court, Forensic Science and Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
It's unclear when Garcia's last day will be with the police department, but Broadnax's note to the Austin Mayor and City Council said Garcia's appointment was effective Nov. 4.
Austin city leaders told NBC5 that Thursday's announcement came as a surprise.
“I think many of us assumed that when T.C. Broadnax came to Austin and that we had a police job opening, that he would be a natural candidate for that. We ultimately went in a different direction, but this role where he not only will oversee the police department, but our other public safety departments makes a lot of sense," said Council Member Ryan Alter.
Eddie Garcia
DALLAS HIRED EDDIE GARCIA IN 2021 TO LEAD NATION'S 9th LARGEST DEPARTMENT
Eddie Garcia joined the Dallas Police Department in February 2021 after a three-decade career with the San Jose, California, police department. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, he was sworn in as Dallas's first Spanish-speaking Hispanic police chief during a private ceremony.
In December 2020, as chief of the SJPD, Garcia said he planned to retire in June of that year but stayed on to help San Jose respond to protests around the murder of George Floyd and the growing pandemic. When the chief of police job in Dallas opened in September 2020, when U. Renee Hall announced her resignation, Garcia said the Dallas post was the one challenge that could extend his career.
“The opportunity in Dallas was exciting. I don't feel a better connection to any major city in the country as I do for Dallas,” he said in 2020. Garcia said he was a lifelong Dallas Cowboys fan and planned to move to North Texas even if he'd not been hired for the job.
Before his first day in Dallas, Garcia said he was not a ‘stay in the office’ chief and that he'd have the backs of his officers in the field. In news conferences, Garcia frequently mentioned the life-threatening struggles and dangers faced by his men and women in uniform while protecting the streets of Dallas.
Most recently, Garcia spoke about the loss of Officer Darron Burks, who Garcia said was executed in his patrol car for the uniform he wore.
"It hurts. I gave him his badge," Garcia said. "As I tell my recruits, you do this job long enough, and you're going to laugh together, you're going to bleed together, you're going to cry together."
During his 3.5 years leading the department, the city has reported drops in violent crime. Earlier this month, the city reported that overall violence was down more than 19% compared to the three years before the plan started.
Eddie Garcia
They said it was the impact of the police department’s $24 million violent crime reduction plan, an ongoing effort made up of three phases: Hotspot Policing, a grid system that assigns more officers to high-crime areas in the city; Place Network Investigations, which sends code enforcement and investigators to problem apartment complexes; and Focused Deterrence, which helps get resources to people deemed high risk for violent behavior.
“This crime plan would not work if the men and women of this department did not buy in,” Garcia said at the time. “They have completely bought in; they’re doing tremendous work.”
The numbers weren’t all positive: data showed the total number of homicides from 2021-24 was up 7% compared to the three years before the plan.
But murders in Dallas this year were down nearly 25% compared to 2023, and police said they hoped to expand this violent crime plan.
“Our hope is that this is going to be a longstanding, that this is going to be in the fiber of the Dallas Police Department where it’s about building stronger communities,” said Garcia.
Garcia's contract extension reached this spring was expected to keep him in Dallas through May 2027.
In the news release, Garcia weighed in on the negotiation: "To live and work in Dallas is to love Dallas. This is the right place to complete my service, and I know your police officers are honored to serve Dallas residents. We will keep doing our jobs with excellence and results."
Garcia earned a reported $306,440 as the chief of police. However, beginning in November and every six months after, he was to receive a retention bonus of $10,000. The deal had provisions to cover early termination and a transition plan for when he left the job.
