Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia travels to Austin – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

Less than six months after agreeing to extend his stay in Dallas until May 2027, Police Chief Eddie Garcia is traveling to 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 have issued a statement, and an interim chief has not yet been named.

Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson and Dallas Acting City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert spoke about Garcia's departure, saying Garcia was “the right leader at the right time for the Dallas Police Department” and their shared mission now is to build on his success and search for a new chief who can help make Dallas the safest big city in America.

The city manager hires the police chief. While the search for a permanent Dallas city manager continues, the police department could be led by an interim chief for an extended period of time until both positions are filled.

WHERE IS EDDIE GARCIA GOING?

Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia appears to be moving to the state capital to serve as deputy city manager for public safety.

In Austin, Garcia will report to a familiar face: City Manager TC 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 moved 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 leadership team.

“I am pleased to welcome Mr. Garcia as our new Deputy City Director for Public Safety. His extensive experience and deep commitment to the communities he serves make him the ideal leader for my executive team,” said Broadnax. “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 from the NBC affiliate in Austin shared a memo Broadnax said Garcia will be in charge of the city's public safety department, including the Austin Police Department, Austin Fire Department, Austin/Travis County EMS, Downtown Austin Community Court, Forensics, and Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

It is unclear when Garcia's last day on the police force will be, but Broadnax's memo to the Austin mayor and city council said Garcia's appointment was effective Nov. 4.

Austin city officials told NBC5 that Thursday's announcement came as a surprise.

“I think many of us assumed that TC Broadnax would be the natural candidate for this when he came to Austin and we had a police vacancy to fill. Ultimately, we decided to go with a different position, but this role, where he will oversee not only the police department but our other public safety departments, makes a lot of sense,” said Council Member Ryan Alter.

DALLAS HIRED EDDIE GARCIA IN 2021 TO HEAD THE NINTH LARGEST DEPARTMENT IN THE COUNTRY

Eddie Garcia joined the Dallas Police Department in February 2021 after three decades with the San Jose, California Police Department. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, he was sworn in as Dallas' first Spanish-speaking Hispanic police chief during a private ceremony.

In December 2020, Garcia said he planned to retire as chief of the SJPD in June of that year, but stayed to help San Jose respond to protests over the murder of George Floyd and the growing pandemic. When the Dallas police chief position opened up in September 2020 and U. Renee Hall announced her retirement, Garcia said the Dallas post was the only challenge that could prolong his career.

“The opportunity in Dallas was exciting. I don't feel a stronger connection to any major city in the country than Dallas,” he said in 2020. Garcia said he is a lifelong Dallas Cowboys fan and plans to move to North Texas even if he wasn't hired for the job.

Before his first day in Dallas, Garcia said he is not a stay-in-the-office boss and he will have his officers' backs in the field. In press conferences, Garcia frequently mentioned the life-threatening struggles and dangers his men and women in uniform face 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 because of the uniform he was wearing.

“It hurts. I gave him his badge,” Garcia said. “I always tell my recruits: If you do this job long enough, you'll laugh together, bleed together and cry together.”

During his three-and-a-half years as head of the department, the city saw a decline 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 began.

They said it was due to the impact of the police department's $24 million plan to reduce violent crime. That ongoing plan has three phases: Hotspot Policing, a grid system that sends more officers to the city's high-crime areas; Place Network Investigations, which sends law enforcement officers and investigators to troubled housing complexes; and Focused Deterrence, which helps direct resources to people considered particularly violent.

“This crime plan would not work if the men and women of this department were not on board,” Garcia said at the time. “They are fully committed to it; they are doing a great job.”

The numbers were not all positive: data showed that the total number of murders increased by 7% between 2021 and 2024 compared to the three years before the plan.

But murders in Dallas fell nearly 25% this year compared to 2023, and police said they hope to expand that plan to combat violent crime.

“We hope this will be permanent and integrated into the activities of the Dallas Police Department, which is about building stronger communities,” Garcia said.

Garcia's contract extension this spring was supposed to keep him in Dallas until May 2027.

In the press release, Garcia commented on the negotiations: “Living and working in Dallas means loving Dallas. This is the right place to serve, and I know your police officers are honored to serve the people of Dallas. We will continue to do our jobs with excellence and results.”

Garcia reportedly earned $306,440 as police chief, but was to receive a $10,000 retention bonus starting in November and every six months thereafter. The contract included provisions for early termination and a transition plan for when he left office.