Fort Worth residents get their first — and only — chance to meet the finalists for their next police chief at a meet-and-greet hosted by the city Aug. 14.
The three finalists for the city’s top law enforcement post are Robert Alldredge, a 26-year veteran of the Fort Worth Police Department currently serving as interim chief; Eddie García, who served as Dallas’ police chief from 2021 to 2024 and currently works as an assistant city manager overseeing public safety in Austin; and Vernon Hale, assistant chief of police in Maryland’s Prince George’s County and a former Dallas police deputy chief.
Alldredge, García and Hale will participate in a community forum at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at City Hall.
The schedule includes an hour for informal mingling with the candidates and 90 minutes for a moderated panel, which will be livestreamed on Facebook, YouTube and the city’s TV stream. Spanish interpretation will be available.
This is the first public event for residents to participate in the hiring process. City officials said they have held several private “stakeholder engagement activities” with community leaders.
Before the forum, the candidates will participate in private interview panels with various community members and police department staff, Assistant City Manager Dianna Giordano told council members during an Aug. 5 briefing on the hiring process.
“It’s going to be a packed day for the candidates on that day,” Giordano said.
Leading up to the selection of finalists, the city solicited input from residents on the qualities they want in their next police chief through an online survey. Attendees at the community forum will be able to provide feedback on the candidates after the event.
City staff will conduct final interviews with the candidates Aug. 15.
The Fort Worth Report contacted Alldredge, García and Hale with questions about what drew them to apply for the position and how they would approach the role, if hired.
Sana Syed, Fort Worth’s interim chief communications officer, said via email that the candidates would not be responding.
“The questionnaire would make sense if they were running for office — and voters were electing the next police chief,” Syed said. “But in this case, when the city manager hires the police chief and there is already a public meet-and-greet and input process in place, we do not see this questionnaire as being aligned with our efforts.”
City officials solicited questions from the public to ask during the forum through an online survey that closed Aug. 8.
City Manager Jay Chapa will make the final decision on who to hire as the next police chief, and City Council members will vote on a resolution to confirm the appointment. The hire is expected to be finalized by early September.
The next chief will succeed Neil Noakes, who retired in May after four years as chief. They will lead the police department’s 1,896 sworn officers and 574 professional staff members.
The finalists, announced July 15, were selected from a pool of 51 candidates — more than double the number of candidates Dallas attracted when searching for a chief to succeed García last year.
A fourth Fort Worth finalist, Emada Tingirides of the Los Angeles Police Department, withdrew from the pool after receiving a promotion in her hometown.
Questions for the police chief finalists
The Fort Worth Report asked the three finalists the following questions, which a city official said they would not respond to because of existing public engagement efforts, including the forum. It is unclear what topics will be discussed during the Aug. 14 panel.
- What about your background has prepared you most for the role of Fort Worth police chief?
- What drew you to apply for the job?
- What are your top three priorities if hired as Fort Worth police chief? Briefly describe how you would approach each.
- Police relations with communities of color remain a top concern in Fort Worth. How would you build trust with diverse communities across the city?
- How would you describe local law enforcement’s role in enforcing national and state immigration policies, and how would you approach collaboration with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to carry out such policies?
- Some Latino communities may be reluctant to call police in emergencies because of increased immigration enforcement nationwide. How would you bridge that concern with the local need to address public safety?
- As Fort Worth continues to grow, what will your approach be to recruiting and retaining new officers?
- Would you support a citizen-led Police Oversight Board, as recommended by Fort Worth’s Race and Culture Task Force in 2018? Why or why not?
- What vision do you have for the Office of the Police Oversight Monitor, and how do you foresee addressing community concerns around police oversight and accountability?
- Chief Neil Noakes placed a strong emphasis on supporting officers’ mental well-being. What efforts would you seek to retain, improve or implement to support officer mental health?
- What do you see as the biggest funding needs for the Fort Worth Police Department?
- Gun violence is a top safety concern in Fort Worth, and community leaders, including City Council members, have expressed a desire for a comprehensive gun safety program. What would your strategy be to lower growing rates of gun violence that disproportionately impact underserved communities across the city?
- How do you see the police department investing in new and innovative technology to ensure the department is advancing as it tackles crime across the city?
- The mayor and City Council members have prioritized reducing the increasing homeless population and illegal camping. As state and federal resources for such programs decrease, how do you view the police department’s role in responding to homelessness, and how would you approach this issue?
Cecilia Lenzen is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at cecilia.lenzen@fortworthreport.org.
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