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Fort Worth police chief finalist pulls out, 3 remain including former Dallas chief

A black SUV parked in the middle of the road with the words "Fort Worth Police" written on the side.
Emmanuel Rivas
/
KERA
A Fort Worth Police Department SUV parked near the scene where a deputy was shot in Fort Worth on Aug. 7, 2024. Officials say the deputy was shot three times and rushed to a nearby hospital.

One of the four finalists for the Fort Worth Police Department's police chief job withdrew from the race Monday after receiving a promotion with the LAPD, the city confirmed Monday.

Emada Tingirides was promoted from deputy chief to assistant chief as the director of the office of operations, now overseeing five bureaus within the Los Angeles Police Department. She is the first Black woman to hold this position, according to a press release from Fort Worth City Manager Jay Chapa.

“Chief Tingirides exemplified professionalism throughout the interview process and was a strong candidate,” Chapa said. “We respect her decision to withdraw for this historic opportunity at LAPD and wish her the best.”

Three finalists remain for the position — all of which have North Texas ties:

The Fort Worth police chief position was left vacant at the end of May when former chief Neil Noakes retired. He had led the department since 2021.

Noakes first announced his retirement last December. He has been with the department since 2000 and served more than 25 years in law enforcement.

It came in the midst of a controversial time for the city — Fort Worth’s crime lab had missed state deadlines for testing nearly 900 sexual assault evidence kits, for which Noakes at the time took full responsibility and said his department was working to fill vacant forensic science positions that contributed to the problem. Noakes did not cite the backlog as a reason for his departure.

There were 898 sexual assault kits that had been tested as of Oct. 11, but they had not been entered into the federal Combined DNA Index System, according to Noakes. By Oct. 18, 190 additional kits were mailed out for testing but went over the 90-day requirement for entry. The backlog was fully cleared up by May.

The Fort Worth Police Department’s executive assistant chief Robert Alldredge stepped in as interim police chief ever since.

The city’s hunt for a new police chief started earlier that month and closed in June, garnering more than 50 applicants.

The city will host a forum Aug. 14 at 5:30 p.m. at Fort Worth City Hall to give community members the chance to meet the candidates and ask questions.

Penelope Rivera is KERA's Breaking News Reporter. Got a tip? Email Penelope at privera@kera.org.

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Penelope Rivera is KERA's Breaking News Reporter. She graduated from the University of North Texas in May with a B.A. in Digital and Print Journalism.