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FORT WORTH, Texas – All three Fort Worth Police Chief candidates have some sort of connection to North Texas and tonight community members were able to ask questions and get a feel for what these prospective chiefs are all about.

Police chief candidates

Local perspective:

Robert Alldredge

The internal option: Robert Alldredge, the current interim chief who’s been with the Fort Worth Police Department for 26 years.

“I have very strong relationships within the department. I have strong relationships in the community,” said Alldredge.

Eddie Garcia

A very familiar face, Eddie Garcia. The former Dallas Police Chief who unexpectedly left policing to become Assistant City Manager in Austin, just last October. There’s a bit of controversy for some who wonder why Garcia would leave the Dallas Police Department, only to fight for the same job in Fort Worth less than a year later. 

On Thursday evening, he spoke about his learning experience in Austin.

“I was able to understand you know why it is what we have to do where we have to keep in mind budgets and other things on that nature and it brought a great light to me,” said Garcia.

Ultimately, Garcia says the job in Austin isn’t exactly who he is.

“At the end of the day I was born to be a police officer,” he said.

Vernon Hale

Vernon Hale was an Assistant Chief of Police in the Baltimore area’s Prince George County. He previously spent 26 years with the Dallas Police Department, but Hale says he wants the Fort Worth job because the city does not cut public safety budgets while growing the economy.

“And I love this city. The reason I picked Fort Worth is that you’re a stable city. You grow smart,” said Hale.

Fort Worth residents’ concerns

What they’re saying:

Ask any of Fort Worth’s 1 million residents about public safety, and they will voice many different concerns. 

For Melinda Hamilton, it’s gun violence. Her daughter was murdered in 2018 and her grandson was murdered in 2020. Hamilton launched a non-profit by the name of Mothers of Murdered Angels.

“We’re going into the schools trying to talk to the young kids right now, but the older ones that are already out there, we need to find some kind of strategy to help stop gun violence,” said Hamilton.

Hamilton and a couple of hundred residents were speaking with the three candidates vying to become the next chief of police at a Fort Worth City Hall open-invite community forum.

Fort Worth resident, Gloria Pacheco, is unsure who she prefers, but for whoever gets the job, she hopes there’s an effort to gain citizen involvement. Pacheco volunteers on a community patrol. 

“It’s O.K. to ride around for an hour to kind of make sure that nobody’s in your neighborhood that shouldn’t be.”

What’s next:

City officials tell FOX 4 that Fort Worth City Manager Jay Chapa will make the hire. The hire is expected to take place in mid-September. The police chief job is advertised as having a salary of up to $275,000.

The Source: Information in this article was provided from interviews conducted by FOX 4’s David Sentendrey.

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