DALLAS — The former chief of police for the City of Mesquite has been named as the new chief of police for Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART).
DART announced its selection of Charles Cato on Thursday after conducting "an extensive national search."
As DART's chief of police, Cato will lead a team of more than 250 licensed peace officers, as well as 110 fare enforcement officers and 67 support staff. He has nearly 33 years of law enforcement and leadership experience.
"We are very excited to welcome a compassionate leader and true public servant like Chief Cato to the DART team," Nadine S. Lee, DART president & CEO said.
"His exemplary background in law enforcement, as well as his experience in developing and expanding cross-agency collaborations, provides our police department and the entire agency fresh perspectives for enhancing security in the transit system as we continue to serve the residents of the North Texas region."
Before serving as Mesquite's chief of police, Cato worked as the first assistant chief of police at the Dallas Police Department, which is second in command.
"I am honored to be entrusted with the opportunity to lead the dedicated women and men of the DART Police Department," Cato said. "I look forward to continuing the DART Police Department's community oriented policing efforts so that we can build and expand on the strong bonds we have developed with both our service area cities, as well as the citizens we serve. Together we will protect the communities we serve, and the DART passengers that rely on our services every day."
Cato will being his duties as DART's chief of police on Sept. 6.
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