DALLAS — Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia has told city officials that he plans to retire from law enforcement and is in line to take a new position with the city of Austin, multiple sources told WFAA.
Also, a memorandum obtained by WFAA from Austin City Manager T.C. Broadnax confirmed that Garcia has been appointed to an Assistant City Manager role overseeing the city's public safety departments, including police, fire and emergency services. Garcia will be one of four Assistant City Managers, joining Veronica Briseño, Robert Goode and Stephanie Hayden-Howard.
The move means Garcia would be joining Broadnax, Dallas' former city manager who took the same role in Austin earlier this year.
"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."
While it's not yet clear when Garcia will leave the Dallas Police Department, the memorandum from Broadnax said Garcia's new role will be effective Nov. 4.
Garcia addressed his move in a memo to Dallas Police Department employees shown to WFAA.
"This is not the manner I wanted you to find out. But unfortunately, you cannot keep secrets," the memo read. "After much reflection and consideration, I have made the difficult decision to retire from my career in law enforcement. This has not been an easy choice, as my time in service has been deeply meaningful and fulfilling. For many years, I have been honored to protect and serve the community."
The Austin Police Association told WFAA it is "excited to work with [Garcia] and is looking forward to it as Austin faces a public safety crisis."
Garcia's planned departure from Dallas comes just months after he and the city reached an agreement for him to stay on as police chief, after he reportedly received interest from Austin and Houston for open roles there.
Interim City Manager Kim Tolbert said in a news release in May that Garcia had agreed to a plan that will keep him in Dallas through at least mid-2027. Under the agreement, Garcia's salary would remain $306,440.40 but starting this November he would receive a retention bonus of $10,000 every six months.
In return, Garcia was committing to stay in Dallas until at least May 2027. Also as part of the agreement, if a Dallas city manager before then decided to fire Garcia "for convenience" then Garcia would be paid a year's salary, the news release said.
Under the agreement, if Garcia resigned from his role or is fired "for his individual work performance" or is convicted of a crime, he would not receive the payment.
“This was complicated, but we got it done,” Tolbert said in May. “If this was NFL Football, we were able to keep Chief Garcia on the Dallas Team; he’s the right quarterback to lead our police department. We certainly didn’t want to lose him to free agency.”
Garcia in a statement said Dallas was the "right place to complete my service."
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson echoed that sentiment. "Chief Garcia was the right leader at the right time for the Dallas Police Department," Mayor Johnson said in a statement. "We are immensely grateful to Chief Garcia for his dedicated service and unwavering commitment to the safety of our residents."
Full statement from Mayor Eric Johnson and Interim City Manager Kimberly Tolbert:
"Chief Garcia was the right leader at the right time for the Dallas Police Department.
We shared a vision for a safer Dallas that relied on proven strategies and a relentless approach to fighting crime, and we worked together to prioritize public safety at City Hall and turn the tide against violence in Dallas neighborhoods.
The results of this partnership have been remarkable. Our city has achieved three consecutive years of violent crime reduction that bucked national trends. We have built greater trust between our communities and our police department. We have improved morale among our hardworking men and women in blue, and we acknowledge that the strength of the Dallas Police Department lies not in one individual, but in the collective efforts of the many courageous men and women who serve our city every day.
We are immensely grateful to Chief Garcia for his dedicated service and unwavering commitment to the safety of our residents. 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.
Now, our shared mission is clear: We must work together with the Dallas City Council, city staff, and our public safety personnel to build upon our incredible successes. And we must begin a search for a new chief who can help us achieve our goal of making Dallas the safest major city in America."
“To live and work in Dallas is to love Dallas,” Garcia said in May. “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 has led the Dallas Police Department for more than three years, starting in February of 2021.
Born in Puerto Rico, Garcia became Dallas' first Latino police chief. He was previously the police chief in San Jose, Calif., where he had spent nearly 30 years with the department.
In Dallas, Garcia replaced Chief U. Renee Hall, who had decided in 2020 to leave the role as Dallas' top cop. Garcia was selected for the Dallas job over six other finalists, including four from within the Dallas Police Department ranks.
More Texas headlines: