Austin's Eddie Garcia Named Finalist for Fort Worth Police Chief

A high-ranking Austin official is a finalist to lead Fort Worth’s police department.

Eddie Garcia, a former Dallas police chief who now serves as Austin’s assistant city manager for public safety, is among four top contenders for the job, Fort Worth City Manager Jay Chapa announced in a news release.

The three other finalists are: Fort Worth’s interim Chief Robert Alldredge; former Dallas Deputy Chief Vernon Hale; and Deputy Chief Emada Tingirides from the Los Angeles Police Department.

Garcia took the job in Austin late last year after abruptly retiring from the Dallas Police Department.

As assistant city manager for public safety, he oversees the Austin Fire Department, Austin Police Department, Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services, Downtown Austin Community Court, Forensic Science Department; and the Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

Garcia works directly with Austin City Manager T.C. Broadnax, who also left Dallas as that city’s chief executive just more than a year ago. Broadnax started his role in Austin in May 2024.

Garcia joined Dallas police in 2020 after serving for 29 years in the San Jose, California police department, the last four of those as its chief, the American-Statesman previously reported. He left Dallas in 2024 even though he committed to stay until at least 2027, according to WFAA-TV.

He told the television station at the time that his departure was not related to internal politics or disputes, but "because it’s my time to retire from law enforcement."

City of Dallas officials renegotiated Garcia’s contract after reports circulated in 2024 that officials in Austin and Houston were interested in hiring him as their top cop, the Statesman reported. The new contract included a clause that would have kept him among the highest-paid police chiefs in Texas through at least mid-2027.

Garcia’s office did not immediately return the Statesman’s request for comment.

Fort Worth has been without a police chief since May, when then-Chief Neil Noakes retired after 25 years with the department. According to Chapa, the four finalists were selected from a pool of 51 applicants from 15 states.