AUSTIN (WBAP/KLIF News ) – Outgoing Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia gave an emotional farewell to city council members on Wednesday.
He announced in September that he will take over the Austin assistant city manager position starting November 4th.
Garcia fought back tears as he addressed the council.
“Before we met, you said you wanted a chief that took it personally. I promise you, I took it personally,” he said.
Dallas City Council hired the veteran law enforcement leader in 2021. Garcia also joked about what it felt like to wear his Dallas police uniform for the last time.
“Not wearing this uniform will be very odd, you know; trying to figure out what I’m going to wear to work is not going to be easy,” he said.
Garcia’s tenure has been met with praise by Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson. He’s known for spearheading a plan that reduced crime in the city consistently in the last three years.
Recent data shows overall violent crime in Dallas dropped 19 percent and homicides are down by 27 percent in that time span.
The city announced last month that 33-year Dallas Police veteran Mike Igo would take over as interim police chief. He’s yet to announce if he will apply for the job full time.
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