Fort Worth police chief finalists to speak at Aug. 14 forum – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

The City of Fort Worth says next week will mark a big step in the hiring process for the city’s next police chief.

On Tuesday, city leaders had their longest public discussion so far about whether one candidate was given special consideration during the search.

The city says that it didn’t happen, and they are focused on hiring the best candidate for Fort Worth.

On Aug. 14, finalists Robert Alldredge, Eddie Garcia, and Vernon Hale will appear in a public forum to answer questions from the community. They’ll also face two days of interviews with community members and police department staff.

As the date to name retired Chief Neil Noakes’s successor approaches, some council members are still questioning the hiring process.

“I know there was some discrepancy of a candidate applying after the deadline. Do you have any information on that?” Councilmember Chris Nettles asked city staff during Tuesday’s council work session.

For weeks, Nettles said he’s been hearing concerns about transparency in the search and whether former Dallas Chief Eddie Garcia submitted his application after the deadline.

That question led to a tense exchange with Fort Worth City Manager Jay Chapa.

“Councilman, we had this conversation,” Chapa said in response to Nettles’s question about whether Garcia missed the application deadline.

“We did, but I want to ask it publicly,” Nettles replied.

“And so I’d like to answer publicly,” Chapa continued.

City staff said Garcia did not miss the deadline. They said candidates were encouraged to apply by June 4, but the city told its search firm, Mosaic, to accept applications through June 16. Garcia’s application was submitted before that date.

“There was not a hard deadline, there was no special treatment,” Chapa said. “There was nothing like that in mind.”

Councilmember Deborah Peoples said she was glad the conversation happened publicly in the interest of transparency.

Nettles said he believes future executive searches should have a hard deadline.

In response, Chapa said his focus remains on hiring the best candidate.

“At the end of the day, as city manager, I want to hire the best police chief in the country for our position,” Chapa said.

The city says after next week’s forum and interviews, they’ll identify a top candidate, extend an offer, and present the final choice to the city council. That’s expected to happen next month.