DALLAS — City leaders have given Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia their proposal to keep him in Dallas and he is now considering it, amid interest from Houston and Austin officials, the heads of associations representing rank-and-file officers said Friday.
Garcia could respond to the offer as soon as Monday morning, Dallas head of the National Latino Law Enforcement Organization George Aranda said, adding interim city manager Kim Tolbert "has done everything in her power to offer everything out there."
While officials did not disclose specifics of any potential offer to Garcia, Aranda said he's been told the latest discussions are positive. Still, he cautioned: "it's not done until it's done."
Sources told WFAA's Senior Crime and Justice Reporter Rebecca Lopez on Wednesday that Houston and Austin are among the cities courting Garcia. Aranda said Los Angeles has also expressed interest in the chief.
"He's the best chief in America today and the entire country knows it," said Dallas Police Association President Jaime Castro. "We cannot afford to lose Chief Garcia."
Aranda, Castro and Lt. Paul Thai of the Asian Peace Officers Association held a news conference Friday to urge city leaders and residents to show their support for Garcia. Aranda said it's the first time in his memory that the officers' associations have come together to promote retention of a police chief, rather than express their displeasure with one.
"Everybody's pretty happy right now, so that speaks volumes of his leadership, " Aranda said.
Thai said Garcia leaving would be "devastating."
Garcia, who was hired as chief in Dallas in 2021, is currently employed in an at-will capacity under the city manager, meaning he can leave the role at any time.
To keep him, sources said Dallas may have to offer him a contract. However, the Dallas city charter does not currently allow police chiefs to be under contract.
"If need be, let's amend it," Aranda said.
As of last month, Garcia's base pay was $306,440 per year, city records showed.
He said city leaders are also exploring alternative offers to keep Garcia, such as an employment agreement or performance-based bonuses for improvements in crime rates, officer retention and new hire recruitment.
"From what I've been told by Ms. Tolbert, she's put out as much as she could," Aranda said.
The stakes of the deal are high for Tolbert, who is widely considered to be in the running for the permanent city manager job.
"If she does retain Chief Garcia, this would be a feather in her cap," Aranda said.
In response to WFAA's reporting, Tolbert issued a statement Wednesday evening telling other cities interested in Garcia to "turn around and go back home."
Houston's interest in Garcia becoming its police chief comes as city officials on Wednesday accepted Chief Troy Finner's retirement.
Finner's departure leaves an opening for a department that employs around 5,300 officers and more than 1,000 civilian staffers. The Dallas Police Department, by comparison, has around 3,200 officers and around 600 civilian staffers.
Houston city officials have not yet named any potential replacements to Finner, and Garcia is not commenting on any potential link to him and the opening in Houston.
Austin's interest in Garcia stems from the fact that its chief role has also been open since its previous chief, Joseph Chacon, retired in August, and because former Dallas City Manager T.C. Broadnax, who hired Garcia, is now Austin's city manager as of this week.
A spokesperson for the city of Austin told WFAA, “The search for Chief of Police has not yet been launched, therefore there are no candidates at this time.”
Data released by the Dallas Police Department indicated crime in the city is at a six-year low, with 26 percent fewer murders compared to the same time last year.
Although Garcia has worked to increase officer staffing, DPD is still about 800 officers short. The department has also struggled to improve response times. To help with this, Garcia made it so that some non-emergency complaints must be reported online.
