Leading two of the largest departments in the country taught Fort Worth Police Chief Eddie Garc\u00eda that the foundation of recruiting and retaining officers is community support.<\/p>\n
Like cities across the country, Fort Worth is grappling with officer turnover and increasing overtime costs. In the 2025 fiscal year, taxpayers paid about $25 million for police overtime. About three dozen police staffers earned more than $50,000 each in overtime pay during that time, according to payroll information obtained through a records request.<\/p>\n
Three months into his new role, Garc\u00eda feels certain that Fort Worth is uniquely positioned to attract, hire and retain qualified officers, he said.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s so confident that he set a lofty goal for his first year as chief: a fully staffed force by the end of 2026. That means filling the 103 positions vacant as of early December to reach the department\u2019s ideal capacity of 1,906 sworn officers.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt starts with support,\u201d Garc\u00eda said. \u201cThe No. 1 thing that I think these individuals, these young men and women that are entering law enforcement, want to see is support: \u2018Yes, this is a calling that I have, but where can I go that I will feel supported?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Fort Worth stands out among the nation\u2019s largest cities for its public, unwavering support of local law enforcement, Garc\u00eda said. That\u2019s part of what attracted him to Cowtown.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf it lured me back, it should lure you first,\u201d Garc\u00eda said.<\/p>\n
He reentered the police force<\/a> less than a year into a job overseeing public safety in the Austin city manager\u2019s office. His roughly three-decade police career includes three years as Dallas\u2019 police chief and five as San Jose\u2019s.<\/p>\n A Fort Worth police officer on horse patrols the street before the Stockyards cattle drive begins in 2024. (Camilo Diaz | Fort Worth Report) In September, Garc\u00eda took the helm of a department<\/a> facing increasing overtime costs, due to officers working extra hours to accommodate staffing shortages and scheduling gaps.<\/p>\n Emphasizing that the department \u201cwasn\u2019t broken\u201d when he took the job, Garc\u00eda said he aims to curb those costs while filling vacancies and improving morale to ensure officers want to stay in Fort Worth.<\/p>\n One of the first steps in his plan was to stress the importance of community support, which included getting Mayor Mattie Parker and City Manager Jay Chapa to appear in a promotional video that aired in October.<\/p>\n