Police experts weigh in on Eddie Garcia's possible return to DFW: 'Once a cop, always a cop'

FORT WORTH, Texas - Law enforcement experts are weighing in on former Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia’s application to become the next top cop in Fort Worth.

Garcia’s desire to return to the force comes less than a year after he announced he was retiring from the Dallas Police Department to take an assistant city manager job in Austin. 

Eddie Garcia leaves Dallas

The backstory:

It was only nine short months ago that Chief Garcia explained his reason for leaving DPD.

"I’ve been sprinting for a while. It will be 33 years in February. My kids played a big role in it. They are young adults. At some point they will start families of their own and I want to be present," he told FOX 4. 

Garcia said he was looking for a better work-life balance.

"I wanted something with balance because there is no balance. I hate to make it sound terrible for chiefs. There is no balance. That is not a word police chiefs should utter because there isn’t. But if you can find something to work hard at while being able to find balance, that is what I was ready for in my next chapter," he said.

The departure came just months after Garcia received a raise from Dallas and a promise that he would remain the highest-paid police chief in a major Texas city.

Eddie Garcia eyes a Fort Worth move

What's new:

Garcia is now one of four finalists for Fort Worth’s open police chief position.

While he hasn’t commented on what’s potentially leading him back to North Texas, many of his former colleagues are.

What they're saying:

Dallas Police Association President Jaime Castro said he did not see this move coming from his former chief. But in hindsight, perhaps everyone should have known that once a cop, always a cop.

Castro said the fulfillment that comes from being part of the thin blue line is difficult to find anywhere else.

"It is the love to serve the community in your blood, to serve others, and protect the community," he said.

Alex Del Carmen is a criminologist at Tarleton State University who also trains police chiefs for the state of Texas about racial profiling laws.

"I will tell you that I’ve met thousands of them, and I’ve seen many of them go. Many of them come back. And, you know, our is always that some of them that swear to me one day that,  ‘Dr. Del Carmen, I’m retiring. I’m gone. I’m never going to come back.’ You know, a year or two later, they’re there, you know, working for another city. And I think part of it is because of the challenge," he said.

Local perspective:

Garcia’s latest potential career move is likely to rattle some emotions in both Dallas and Fort Worth.

"It ups the ante, puts the eyes on DPD, eyes on our city council. Now we really have to work together to ensure we have the best contract," Del Carmen said.

Castro believes the competition between the two cities could be good for the whole Metroplex.

"When you are in friendly competition with your blue family it keeps you sharp," he said. "When someone of his tenure and magnitude comes back it only helps the entire community and Metroplex be safer.

By the numbers:

The job posting for the Fort Worth police chief advertises a salary of up to $275,000.

As an assistant city manager in Austin, Garcia was earning $327,000.

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