FORT WORTH, Texas – For the first time, a public discussion about the timing of former Dallas police chief Eddie Garcia’s application to take the helm at the Fort Worth Police Department.
“I’m just concerned about perspective and I think the city of Fort Worth should be concerned about how we present things to our community to make sure they know we have their best interest at heart and not a single interest,” said Fort Worth City Councilman Chris Nettles.
What we know:
Two weeks ago, Fort Worth City Manager Jay Chapa acknowledged Garcia submitted his application materials after the FWPD chief position’s June 4 deadline.
Explaining in a statement, Garcia was allowed to apply the week of June 9 because it was still early in the process and all the applications received had not yet been screened.
What they’re saying:
Chapa now adds a new detail which was not in his initial statement, saying there was never a hard deadline, but rather applicants were encouraged to apply by June 4.
“At the end of the day, as city manager, I want to be able to hire the best police chief in the country for our position,” said Chapa.
“People have called and said they don’t feel like this process was transparent because one applicant filed or applied after the deadline or no deadline. So I just, in the future, because we are already here, we should set hard deadlines.”
Local perspective:
The three finalists for Fort Worth police chief include Garcia, who is currently an assistant city manager in Austin, current interim police chief Robert Alldredge and former Dallas deputy police chief, Vernon Hale.
On August 14, they will attend an informal meet and greet at city hall, followed by a public forum and panel discussion, where citizens will ask them questions.
“At this point, we have three great applicants. We are going to finalize the process. We know who they are now, everybody knows who they are now. We’re going to finalize the process and the best, who we feel is the best applicant, will be selected,” said Chapa.
What’s next:
Fort Worth citizens can submit questions to the candidates before the forum on August 14.
Click HERE for the city’s information on how to do so.
The Source: Information in this article was provided by FOX 4’s Dionne Anglin.
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