The public will have a chance to meet the finalists for Dallas police chief during a public meeting on April 1. (Photo courtesy of Dallas Police Department)
Community leaders speak out on what qualities they want to see in the next leader of the Dallas Police Department.
Dallas’s nationwide search for a new police chief is finally coming to an end.
On March 21, the city announced its five finalists for the position, and in a March 18 Community Police Oversight Board meeting, City Manager Kimberly Tolbert said she plans to interview finalists by the first week of April, and identify a final candidate the following week.
The finalists include Carrollton Police Chief Robert Arredondo; former FBI Assistant Director Brian Boetig; Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Daniel Comeaux; interim Dallas Police Chief Michael Igo; and Dallas Police Assistant Chief Catrina Shead.
“This search has produced an impressive pool of candidates with proven law enforcement leadership experience from a variety of agencies across the country,” Tolbert said in the press release. “Through the next step in this process, we will gain valuable insight into each candidate’s vision for continuing to make Dallas one of the safest large cities in the US, how they plan to attract and retain top talent, and innovate within the department.”
Whoever gets the job will have several issues to navigate, including a current investigation from Attorney General Ken Paxton over immigration policies, a lawsuit over cannabis decriminalization, a controversial voter-led city charter amendment that requires the city to hire hundreds of new police officers, and an annual budget that tops $700 million.
An emphasis on community
The Dallas Police Department has struggled with understaffing, with a current department of around 3,100 officers. The city is required to hire an additional 900 officers under Proposition U, which passed last year and requires Dallas to maintain a police department of 4,000 officers.
Dallas officials want to find a police chief who will “find innovative ways to recruit new employees that are more representative of the community,” according to the job’s brochure.
“We must have an individual in that seat who is not afraid of community,” Dallas City Council Member Carolyn King Arnold said. “And we’ve got to understand that in order to move Dallas forward — especially with the vision of keeping us a safe city — we need someone who will embrace the community.”
Dallas is ranked as one of the most diverse cities in the country. For Richard Miles — president of Miles of Freedom, a Dallas-based nonprofit organization that works with individuals, families, and communities impacted by incarceration — it’s important that the next police chief embraces that.
“Justice has no color, is not confined to gender, nor restricted by religion,” Miles said. “Justice is the fruit of integrity, transparency, accountability and reconciliation. Being of service to the city of Dallas creates opportunities for the Dallas police chief to engage with all communities to reinforce unity and trust.”
“The right police chief will usher a spirit of service to the people, reduce crime, and build safer communities,” Miles added.
Dallas also has over 200,000 residents who identify as LGBTQ+, according to a 2021 Williams Institute study. And for many LGBTQ+ individuals, especially those experiencing homelessness, interactions with law enforcement can be pivotal moments that shape their safety and future, according to Dallas Hope Charities, the city’s LGBTQ-focused homeless youth transitional living center and extension program.
“That’s why it’s so important that our next chief is someone who believes in fair and equitable policing, strengthens partnerships with organizations like ours, and makes it clear that Dallas is a city where everyone deserves dignity and protection,” said Ciera Oates, manager at Dallas Hope Charities.
“As Dallas searches for its next police chief, we hope to see a leader who truly understands the importance of trust, inclusion, and community engagement, especially when it comes to our LGBTQ+ neighbors,” Oates said. “DPD’s mission is all about keeping people safe, building strong relationships, and serving with integrity. We need a chief who not only upholds these values but also actively works to ensure that every community, particularly marginalized groups like LGBTQ+ youth, feels protected, heard, and respected.”
Next steps for hiring new Dallas police chief
Prioritizing public safety and hiring a new police chief that encompasses all of these traits is part of Tolbert’s first 100-day plan, according to her “Building on our Momentum: The Journey Forward” press release from Jan. 24, 2025.
“We engaged a third party to help lead the process to ensure that we would have transparency, and to make sure that the process was inclusive, ensuring that we can deliver on the values that we have and the needs of our residents,” Tolbert said during the March 18 Community Police Oversight Board meeting. “This search is being conducted with the utmost attention to ensuring that we find the best and the brightest leader.”
With the five finalists announced, the next steps include candidate meetings with the city council on March 31.
Then, they meet with several groups — including law enforcement partners, a police association panel, a peer panel, a business panel, a faith-based and nonprofit panel, and a police oversight and community and cultural diversity panel — who will all share their feedback with Tolbert.
On Tuesday, April 1, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., a public meet and greet will take place in the city hall lobby.
Then, meetings with Tolbert and senior and executive leadership will take place until a final candidate is chosen.
