Eddie García reaffirmed his commitment to public safety and to building public trust with the city’s 1 million residents as he accepted the responsibilities of leading the Fort Worth Police Department on Tuesday.
It’s been less than a year since García stepped down from law enforcement in November, leaving his role as Dallas’ police chief to work in Austin as an assistant city manager.
But as he was ceremonially sworn in to be Fort Worth’s new police chief at City Hall, García displayed his eagerness to reenter law enforcement.
“As I was putting this uniform on today, I did get a little emotional because I was born to do this job, and this is my calling,” García said, wearing a perfectly pressed Fort Worth police uniform.
Immediately before taking his oath to protect the city, Mayor Mattie Parker and City Council members welcomed García to Fort Worth, expressing confidence in him.
“We are so pleased that you want to be here in the city of Fort Worth,” Parker said to García. “This is an amazing department that you’re inheriting, but we’re hiring you because we know you can make it even better.”
García, 54, will start as the city’s 28th police chief Sept. 17 with a base pay of $306,000 a year, according to a copy of his offer letter reviewed by the Fort Worth Report. That’s about $43,000 more than his predecessor, former Chief Neil Noakes, earned in his final year of service, according to information from the city’s human resources department.
Noakes retired in May after just over four years of leading the department of nearly 2,000 officers. Since then, assistant chief Robert Alldredge served as interim chief and was named a finalist for the permanent role alongside García.
Council members around the dais took turns addressing García, with some adding what they hope to see him accomplish as chief.
“My ask of you, as the next chief of Fort Worth, is to support our officers, make sure camaraderie is built within our officers, as well as bring accountability to the city of Fort Worth, be it whatever that may look like,” said council member Chris Nettles, who joined other Black community leaders in calling for new accountability measures in the department during the search for a new chief.
Council member Charlie Lauersdorf compared García’s return to law enforcement to his own two years away from the U.S. Marine Corps.
“When you took your uniform off, I have no doubt that you missed it every single day after that, but I'm glad you came back to Fort Worth and put that uniform back on,” Lauersdorf said. “So thank you for answering that call.”
Addressing reporters after his swearing-in ceremony, García said he plans to measure success “by the numbers.” Like in Dallas, he said, his department will use data to constantly evaluate crime reduction strategies, emphasizing that police will collaborate with other city departments to drive success.
“We'll measure success by having less victims of crime,” he said.
Regarding ICE, he said, his department will target criminal activity, saying undocumented immigrants should “live your lives (and) don’t become a priority.” He reiterated previous remarks regarding the possibility of implementing a citizen-led police oversight board, saying he’s open to the idea.
The police department is the largest spending item in the city’s budget for the next fiscal year, which council members approved Tuesday. The department receives about $460.1 million — a number that includes dollars from the city’s general fund and its Crime Control and Prevention District sales tax.
Fort Worth has long struggled with recruiting police officers, according to the city’s drafted 2026 budget book. Many in the fast-growing city listed trust, transparency and accountability as top priorities throughout the search for a new chief.
García told reporters he would emphasize recruiting young individuals, retaining officers within the department and trying to entice officers to stay past the day they become retirement eligible.
The new chief is taking a pay cut of about $20,000 from his job as an Austin assistant city manager, which he took last year. There, he was offered a base pay of about $327,600, according to WFAA.
His Fort Worth salary is on par with what he earned as chief of the Dallas Police Department, $306,440. Dallas city leaders had offered García a $10,000 retention bonus every six months. They committed to having him be the highest-paid police chief in Texas in an effort to keep him from leaving.
García will be one of the highest-paid city employees in Fort Worth. City Manager Jay Chapa, who started in January, earns an annual salary of $435,000. City Attorney Leann Guzman makes $309,580.96 per year.
In addition to his base salary, Fort Worth will issue García a vehicle for official duties and $10,000 to help him relocate. If García leaves the job within a year, he must repay the relocation allowance. He must repay half if he leaves the post anytime between one and two years.
Cecilia Lenzen and Drew Shaw are government accountability reporters for the Fort Worth Report. Contact them at cecilia.lenzen@fortworthreport.org and drew.shaw@fortworthreport.org.
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