Chief Eddie Garcia is retiring from the Dallas Police Department and headed to Austin. The news comes just months after the city agreed to make him one of the state's highest-paid police chiefs.
The City of Dallas has confirmed via a joint statement from city mayor Eric L. Johnson and city manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert, Thursday afternoon.
"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."
Rumors swirled over the summer about Austin and Houston expressing interest in Garcia. The city responded by increasing his base salary to more than $306,000 with a retention bonus of $10,000 every six months.
Garcia joined the Dallas Police Department as chief in February 2021 from San Jose, where he spent three decades in law enforcement.
Thought, it is not immediately clear when Garcia's last day with the Dallas Police Department, KRLD has gotten confirmation from the City of Austin that Garcia's first day as Assistant City Manager over public safety is November 4th.
"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. 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."
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