Application to be Austin's next police chief has opened. The deadline to apply is June 10

Ella McCarthy and Tony Plohetski, Austin American-Statesman
·2 min read

After nearly eight months without a permanent police chief, the application to be Austin's next top law enforcement official has officially opened.

Mosaic Public Partners — the search firm that the City Council hired to find Austin's next city manager — is conducting the national search for Austin's next police chief and posted the job opening on Wednesday.

The deadline to apply is Monday, June 10, according to the online application.

Austin has been without a permanent police chief since Joe Chacon resigned in 2023. Robin Henderson, who was Chacon's chief of staff, has been serving as interim police chief since September. Henderson previously told the American-Statesman that she plans to review the job posting and evaluate her next steps.

Read More: Who will be the next Austin police chief? City Manager Broadnax begins national search.

"The next Chief should have a sound understanding of the history of institutional racism in policing and work to continue to provide public safety services in an equitable manner," the job posting on Mosaic Public Partners' website states. "The Chief should be a vocal proponent for diversity, equity, and inclusion and should continually work to make the Austin Police Department representative of the community that it serves."

Top candidates, the job posting says, will have experience working as a police chief in large cities that have similar issues as Austin and building "strong and healthy" relationships between labor unions and management.

The city is currently in ongoing labor negotiations with the Austin Police Association after more than a year without having a long-term contract. Additionally, the department has struggled with ongoing staffing shortages, with more than 320 of its 1,812 sworn positions currently vacant.

Hiring a permanent police chief is one of the top priorities for Austin's new city manager, T.C. Broadnax.

"Public safety is of paramount importance, not just to me and the Mayor and City Council, but to Austin as a whole. My commitment to this community is to find the absolute best candidate for this critical role,” Broadnax said in a news release Wednesday. “I want to ensure that I bring forward someone who will build trust and foster a culture of transparency and accountability.”

Austin City Manager T.C. Broadnax Jr., then a candidate for the role, speaks at an open town hall at the Permitting and Development Center in Austin on March 25.
Austin City Manager T.C. Broadnax Jr., then a candidate for the role, speaks at an open town hall at the Permitting and Development Center in Austin on March 25.

WFAA-TV reported last week that both Austin and Houston had begun courting Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia to become their next chief. The station cited anonymous sources in its report. Dallas city leaders wished to keep Garcia, the station reported.

Garcia, who is president of the Major City Chiefs Association in Dallas, worked closely with Broadnax, who until a few weeks ago was the city manager of Dallas.

The city hopes to have candidates identified soon after the application window closes and will "promptly" begin interviews, the news release from the city states.

A public input survey and interview panels with the community, law enforcement personnel and city leadership will be scheduled, and there will be a community meet-and-greet event with the finalists.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Application to be Austin's next police chief has opened