The gist
Garcia was chosen from a field of three finalists who took part in a public meet-and-greet Aug. 14 at city hall.
The other finalists were Robert Alldredge Jr., the current interim chief for Fort Worth, and Vernon Hale III, the current assistant chief of police for the Prince George's County Police Department in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, according to previous reporting.
A fourth finalist, Emada Tingirdes from the Los Angeles Police Department, withdrew her name after getting a promotion in Los Angeles, according to a city news release.
What you need to know
Garcia currently serves as an assistant city manager in Austin and was the police chief in Dallas from February 2021 to October 2024, commanding the ninth-largest police department in the country, according to the news release. He’s been with the city of Austin since he was hired in September 2024, according to a previous reporting.
In Austin, Garcia oversees the fire department, police department, Austin/Travis County EMS, chief medical officer, forensic science department, Homeland Security and Emergency Management and labor relations, according to the city website.
Garcia is part T.C. Broadnax’s staff, who was the former city manager of Dallas. Broadnax was hired as Austin’s city manager May 26, 2024, according to previous Community Impact reporting.
Garcia spent 28 years working for the San Jose Police Department in California, with the last five as police chief from 2016-21.
What they're saying
“We were fortunate to have such a large pool of candidates that applied, and we had three incredible candidates that would have all been able to become our next police chief," Chapa said during a news conference on Friday. "It was a difficult decision, but I leaned into the fact that Eddie has led two large police departments in cities with similar issues as Fort Worth, with diverse and complex communities. He has a track record of building trust with officers, boosting employee morale and connecting with residents. He brings the full package of what we wanted in the next chief.”
The background
Mosaic Public Partners conducted the national search and received a total of 51 applicants from 15 states, 92% of which were male and 8% who were female, according to a news release. Nine were interviewed in the semifinalist round, with four selected to move forward as finalists to replace Neil Noakes, who retired May 31.
The Fort Worth police chief oversees a department with 1,896 sworn officers and 574 professional staff members, according to a news release.
Editor's note: The story was updated to add comments from an Aug. 22 press conference.
