Five finalists are vying to be the next chief of the Dallas Police Department. Their names were revealed in a Friday press release.
The position has been left vacant since late last year when former Chief Eddie Garcia announced his resignation and his plans to move to Austin.
City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert started the national search for a permanent police chief earlier this year.
Current Interim Chief Michael Igo is one of the five finalists for the position. Igo has led the department for months and has overseen new initiatives to increase police staffing — presumably to follow controversial charter amendments passed last year.
Roberto Arredondo, Jr., the current chief of the Carrollton Police Department, Brian Boetig, a retired Federal Bureau of Investigation assistant director, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Agency’s Houston Field Division Daniel C. Comeaux and Dallas Police Department Assistant Chief Catrina M. Shead are also being considered for the role.
“This search has produced an impressive pool of candidates with proven law enforcement leadership experience from a variety of agencies across the country,” Dallas City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert said in the press release.
The five candidates were narrowed down from a list of 25, according to the press release. Next, the finalists will take part in a series of meetings with the City Council, members of the community and finally a public meet and greet held at City Hall.
Recently the city council voted to create a hiring goal of 300 new officers. That was after hours of debate in late February where police officials laid out the reasons why hiring any more than that could be detrimental to current patrol operations.
“Moving the needle to 325 means me moving critical resources out of the patrol bureau,” Igo said at the late February council meeting. “With the thought of increased response times and an increase in crime overall.”
Elected officials pushed back on that assertion. District 12 Council Member Cara Mendelsohn said Dallas voters made it clear during the November election about wanting more officers.
“…Calling for nearly 900 additional officers, despite former mayors, Dallas County officials and every elected official sitting around this horseshoe saying ‘do not vote for it’,” Mendelsohn said. “The voters still approved it.”
Proposition U narrowly passed last November with just over 50% of the vote.
Tolbert is slated to make a final decision by the second week of April. The interviews and meetings scheduled with the five candidates are:
- Monday, March 31: 4:00-5:00 p.m., Meet & Greet with the City Council at City Hall.
- Monday, March 31: 5:30-6:30 p.m., Meet & Greet with members of the feedback panels at City Hall.
- Tuesday, April 1: 8:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m., feedback panels, which include community representatives, law enforcement experts, and city officials.
- Tuesday, April 1: 6-7:30 p.m., Public Meet & Greet at City Hall in the lobby.
- Wednesday April 2: Meetings with City Manager Tolbert and senior and executive leadership.
Got a tip? Email Nathan Collins at ncollins@kera.org. You can follow Nathan on Twitter @nathannotforyou.
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