The city of Dallas tapped veteran lawman and current Houston DEA Special Agent in Charge Daniel Comeaux to be the next police chief for the Dallas Police Department.
City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert announced her selection Friday after a seven-month search to replace Eddie Garcia. She said Comeaux has a proven track record of solving complex crime challenges and will continue the department's trend of reducing crime.
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WATCH HERE“Special Agent in Charge Comeaux has consistently demonstrated a proven track record of successfully addressing complex crime challenges across large-scale, diverse populations and geographic areas that span internationally,” said Bizor Tolbert. “The City of Dallas continues to achieve crime reduction year after year. I am confident with SAC Comeaux at the helm, we will continue to be one of the safest large cities in the country, while building trust and bolstering our recruitment and retention efforts.
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SIGN UP Comeaux was selected as the city's 31st police chief after a local and national search to replace Garcia, who left the department last fall to be the assistant city manager in Austin, overseeing public safety.
As head of the Dallas Police Department, Comeaux will oversee and roughly 3,700 employees, including 3,100 police officers and about 600 civilians.
His vision for the Dallas Police Department includes enhancing recruitment, implementing innovative crime-fighting tactics, and strengthening public trust to ensure Dallas remains a safe and forward-thinking city.
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“I joined the police force because I witnessed what can happen to neighborhoods that aren’t safe. At the federal level, I am known as the local cop because of my collaborative approach to tackling crime and my dedication to developing leaders in public safety who are bridge builders for the community. I am proud that my career in law enforcement has come full circle and look forward to serving alongside the men and women of the Dallas Police Department," Comeaux said.
Comeaux inherits a department that has seen the violent crime rate fall each year since 2021, but also will be after voters last November approved a measure requiring DPD to hire about 900 officers to reach 4,000 officers.
"We'll think outside the box. There's a plan that I want to come up with where I look at hiring some contract officers, and it's officers that still have some gas left in the tank that are retired," said Comeaux earlier this month.
"I think they should have looked at it a long time ago. We have brought this up," said Fredrick Frazier.
Frazier retired from the force in 2023. He now works as a government affairs director for North Texas Lodge 700 Fraternal Order of Police Retirees.
“We've got a we've got a whole bench sitting out there of retirees. They're not as old as you think, and they're in between that gap. They could use the money, and they already have it up here to know all they've got to do is put that uniform back on or put them back in that position. They're going to go right back to doing what they were doing before," he said.
Comeaux is a 33-year law enforcement veteran and is currently the SAC of the DEA's Houston Field Office, overseeing 12 offices across the state and 645 miles of the Texas-Mexico border. A native of New Orleans, he began his career in 1991 with the Houston Police Department and moved to the DEA in 1997.
Bizor Tolbert thanked interim Chief Michael Igo, a finalist for the chief position, for his longstanding service to the department, "and his willingness to lead during this time of transition.”
After whittling the candidates to five finalists in March, Bizor-Tolbert organized a series of meet-and-greet events. Comeaux, along with Igo, Dallas PD Assistant Chief Catrina Shead, Carrollton Chief of Police Roberto Arredondo, and former FBI Assistant Director Brian Boetig, all met with members of the city council, feedback panels, and other experts ahead of the city manager's decision.
“This search has produced an impressive pool of candidates with proven law enforcement leadership experience from a variety of agencies across the country,” said Bizor Tolbert earlier this month before making her final selection.
John-Mark Davidson is chairman of the Dallas Community Police Oversight Board. During interview panels Davidson said he was impressed by Comeaux's response to oversight.
“Chief Comeaux spoke positively about it. He said it was a necessity. He said it needs to happen, there needs to be that trust with the community and oversight is an essential element of 21st century policing,” said Davidson.
Rene Martinez of LULAC said he’d like to see Comeaux positively engage with the largely Hispanic community, and continue the downward trend in violent crime.
“Go after those zones, those hot spots, as they say. And the other key things is recruiting of officers,” Martinez said.
Lieutenant Andre Taylor is president of the Black Police Officers Association of Dallas. He was at the table during the search as well, and told us what the association was looking for.
“The willingness to communicate with the associations, to the community, the city management of course, so we can all come to the table, and having that openness to do that is really big for us,” said Taylor.
Tolbert said the city will introduce the new chief on Monday, April 21.
Comeaux's first day on the job is slated for Wednesday, April 23.
