Friends, family and loved ones gathered Wednesday to remember former North Texas police chief David Kunkle, died Friday after a years-long battle with Lewy body dementia. He was 72.
At the service — held at Sparkman-Hillcrest funeral home in Dallas — those who knew the former Dallas, Arlington and Grand Prairie police chief praised his work in law enforcement.
But they said his policing career alone didn't define him: Speaking at the podium, his wife Sarah Dodd shared stories about who Kunkle was as a person.
"His decisions in his professional and personal life were driven by an intuitive sense of what was morally right, respectful and humane," Dodd said.
When Kunkle first began his role as police chief for the Dallas Police Department in 2004, he had three goals: reduce crime, improve officer morale and increase service to the community.
At the time, he said he wanted to rebuild trust and change the tone of discussions about the department following a series of scandals that involved officers planting fake drugs on Hispanic residents in 2001. He said back then that he would made it a priority to provide access to underserved communities.
“At the end of the day, the city of Dallas will be judged in a Police Department by how well we can respond to neighborhoods that have the greatest needs in the communities that have the greatest distrust in the department," he said in 2004.
Kunkle began his career as a Dallas police officer in 1972, making his way to becoming the youngest police captain in the department’s history at the time at 29. He eventually went on to become the police chief in Arlington and Grand Prairie before landing the top job in Dallas.
As Dallas chief, Kunkle oversaw the hiring of 700 officers, improved response times and obtained new squad cars with dash board cameras. He was also ahead of his time for his use-of-force policies by banning choke-holds just months after he started as police chief.
At the memorial, WFAA investigative reporter Tanya Eiserer, who considered him a friend, said she took note of his transparency.
"He didn't hold grudges and he did not retaliate," Eiserer said. "He'd tell us, 'you mess up, you fess up, you clean it up.' A lot of chiefs I've known want to skip over the fess up part, not David Kunkle."
By the time Kunkle retired in 2010, the city had seen a historic six-year decline in crime. Total murders were down by 34% which at the time was the lowest in decades.
His retirement came as a surprise to some city leaders — but he told KERA he wanted to leave the job with dignity and his head held high.
"I think in certain jobs there's a need for continuity, and there is in this position," he said at the time. "But I also think in certain jobs, there's a need to wipe the slate clean every so often."
Kunkle ran unsuccessfully for Dallas mayor in 2011 but lost to Mike Rawlins.
Not all of Kunkle's policies were revered by the public or the police rank-and-file. He spearheaded a graffiti abatement program that was criticized as heavy-handed. He also implemented tougher policies on high-speed chases, which faced pushback from the police union.
Following his retirement, Kunkle went on to create and fund the Caruth Police Institute at the University of North Texas at Dallas.
Kunkle is survived by his wife Sarah Dodd, his son Michael Kunkle and three grandchildren Sarah, Abigail and Jeremy, his brother Steve Kunkle and his sister Kay Meyers.
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