DALLAS – Eddie Garcia is expanding his territory as a leader. First responders in Austin cannot wait.
A day before the November elections, Garcia will assume his new role as assistant city manager overseeing public safety in Austin. On Thursday, he confirmed his retirement as Dallas police chief to accept the Austin position.
“I will say it was a pleasant surprise. Don’t always get that in public safety,” said Michael Bullock, president of the Austin Police Association who leads 1,450 officers.
The men and women answer to Austin’s new police chief, Lisa Davis.
“So it’s someone who’s responsible for being kind of the conduit between City Hall and then the police department, our fire department, and we have a standalone EMS department,” Bullock said. “We have an emergency management division. So he’s responsible for all of those entities.”
Garcia, as Dallas’ top law enforcement officer, is building a reputation as a fixer. Austin is his next challenge.