Police Chief Eddie Garcia reaches deal to stay in Dallas: 'Home equals Dallas PD'

DALLAS - Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia has reached an agreement to stay with the city.

Sources tell FOX 4 that cities, including Houston and Austin, have reached out to Chief Garcia about their open police chief roles.

The plan announced on Thursday afternoon will keep Garcia in Dallas through at least mid-2027.

In a short and simple post to social media, Chief Garcia wrote "Home = Dallas PD," solidifying he’s committed to staying in Dallas.

The agreement includes a retention bonus for Garcia. Starting in November 2024, he will get a $10,000 bonus every six months. Garcia's $306,440.40 base salary will remain the same.

The plan also says that if he is terminated within the next three years, Chief Garcia will still receive a year's salary. The severance pay will not be given if he voluntarily resigns, is terminated for work performance, or if he is "convicted of an offense of moral turpitude or a felony criminal act."

Garcia also agreed to help the city with the selection of a new police chief when that time comes.

"This was complicated, but we got it done," said Interim Dallas City Manager Kim Tolbert in a statement. "If this was NFL Football, we were able to keep Chief Garcia on the Dallas Team; he’s the right quarterback to lead our police department. We certainly didn’t want to lose him to free agency."

"To live and work in Dallas is to love Dallas," Garcia said in a statement. "This is the right place to complete my service, and I know your police officers are honored to serve Dallas residents. We will keep doing our jobs with excellence and results."

The new deal seems to have Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson’s support, with him posting a video captioned, "Sorry, Houston. This band is staying together."

Dallas City Councilmember and chair of the Public Safety Committee Cara Mendelsohn says conversations on how to keep Garcia have been happening behind closed doors for months.

"He has really been the kind of leader you want to manage this extremely sensitive department that is a people business," she said.

Mendelsohn attended Thursday morning’s Dallas police graduation and noticed a key line the chief repeated.

"He said, ‘Class, you will never find another city like Dallas, Texas, that will support police officers.’ And then he said it again," she recalled. "I thought we must be really, really close. He must be in his mind ready to seal the deal, and that is exactly what happened."

Since Garcia arrived in Dallas in 2021, city leaders have credited him with reducing crime and improving morale.

The numbers in Dallas are down 18% overall compared with last year. Murder is down by 26% and aggravated assaults by 23%.

Last week, a coalition of several police associations urged the Dallas City Council to create incentives for Garcia to stay put.

Chief Garcia isn’t under contract due to the city’s charter.

Mendelsohn the city will discuss over the summer if it wants to revise its charter, allowing a police chief to be under contract in the future.