No favoritism in police chief search, Fort Worth city manager says
Former Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia did not get special treatment when he applied to become Fort Worth’s top cop, according to City Manager Jay Chapa, who put extra emphasis on that point during an Aug. 5 City Council work session.
The discussion come two weeks after District 8 council member Chris Nettles joined Fort Worth pastor Kyev Tatum in questioning why Garcia was allowed to apply after a June 4 submission deadline.
However, Assistant City Manager Dianna Giordano noted the June 4 date listed on the job posting was flexible to allow the best candidates to apply.
She pointed to language in the brochure advertising the position that stated applicants were “strongly encouraged” to apply by June 4.
City staff didn’t have a firm date for when they would start vetting the candidates, so this language left the door open for additional candidates to throw their hat in the ring, Chapa said.
Garcia submitted his application June 9, and the city began evaluating the candidates on June 16, he said, adding that no member of the hiring team had any previous interaction or relationship with Garcia.
“I want to be able to hire the best police chief in the country for our position,” Chapa said. “Why would we be interested in limiting the pool of the best applicants in the country?”
A national search garnered applications from 51 people from 15 states, Giordano told the council Tuesday.
Of those candidates, nine were selected for interviews and four were selected as finalists.
Garcia joined interim Fort Worth Police Chief Robert Alldredge, former Galveston Police Chief Vernon Hale, and Los Angeles Assistant Chief Emada Tingirides in making the final cut.
Tingirides withdrew herself from contention after getting a promotion.
Nettles acknowledged there was nothing technically wrong with the timing of Garcia’s application, but pushed for harder deadlines in the future to guard against the perception of bias.
He referenced disagreements about the process to hire Chapa, saying some residents see a similar lack of transparency in the process to hire the next police chief.
Nettles also encouraged people to attend a candidate forum at 5:30 p.m. Aug. 14 at City Hall.
The first hour will be a meet and greet with the three finalists, followed by a more formal panel discussion taking place between 6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.
The candidates will also meet privately with members of the City Council, a panel of residents and representatives from police command staff and the Fort Worth Police Officers Association.
Chapa will make the final decision before getting the sign off from the City Council in early September.
District 5 council member Deborah Peoples said she was happy the discussion about Garcia’s candidacy was happening in the open.
“We have three great candidates, and I want to be sure that we are not pre-prejudicing the air about any of the three,” Peoples said, adding each should get a fair shot at becoming the city’s next police chief.
This story was originally published August 5, 2025 at 3:56 PM.
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