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Former Dallas Police Chief Eddie García has been named the next chief of the Fort Worth Police Department, city officials announced Thursday.
Fort Worth City Manager Jay Chapa, who announced the hire in a news release, said García was one of 50 applicants from across the country. The process to pick the city’s next top cop, he wrote, began in February, and included a meet and greet, community forum and interviews with police command staff, police associations, community stakeholders and city leadership.
García, who is currently an assistant city manager in Austin, led the Dallas police department for about 3½ years. Before that, he spent about 30 years with the San Jose Police Department, leaving as its chief.
García was succeeded in April by Dallas police Chief Daniel Comeaux, formerly the special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Houston Field Division.
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At a community forum last week, García said his time in Austin taught him about city management and the other side of running a police department. But over the last eight months, he realized he was “born to be a police officer,” adding he also wanted to return to North Texas to be closer to his mother and daughter.
“At the end of the day, I’m a cop,” García said. “When I saw this opportunity come, it was a great opportunity for an amazing city that supports its police officers, but also holds their officers accountable as well.”