Dallas Police Chief Finalists 🚨

Good evening, friend,

In Dallas, the position overseeing more than 3,100 police officers, 600 civilian employees, and a $719 million budget reports to the city manager.

But the Dallas Chief of Police might as well have a few hundred or more bosses.

Community leaders, police officer association reps, reporters, activists, Dallas City Council members, and the mayor all believe the police chief reports to them in some fashion.

That is why it is always a little surprising anyone even wants this job — or that they are willing to take it without a “severance” brain procedure (Hail Kier).

A speedy national search ordered by City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert earlier this year has led to five finalists, three of whom have deep Dallas police ties. They are:

• Roberto Arredondo, Jr., Chief of Police, Carrollton Police Department, and a former Dallas police commander

• Brian Boetig, Assistant Director (Ret.), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

• Daniel C. Comeaux, Special Agent in Charge (SAC) of the Drug Enforcement Agency’s (DEA) Houston Field Division 

• Michael T. Igo, Interim Dallas Chief of Police

• Catrina M. Shead, Dallas Police Assistant Chief

The candidates will participate in a series of meet and greets and interviews beginning next Monday, March 31, leading up to interviews with Tolbert and senior city leaders on Wednesday, April 2.

Tolbert is expected to make her decision by the second week of April.

Read more extensive bios here.

📖 Table of Contents

• 🗳️ Candidates of Interest

• 📰 Highlights From Last Week's Meetings

• 📝 Memos of Interest

• 🤝 Meetings of Interest: March 24 - 28

  • Monday, March 24

    • Housing and Homelessness Solutions Committee

    • Government Performance and Financial Management Committee

  • Tuesday, March 25

    • Quality of Life, Arts, and Culture Committee

    • Special Called Public Safety Committee

    • Transportation and Infrastructure Committee

    • DART Board

  • Wednesday, March 26

    • Dallas City Council Meeting

🗳️ Candidates of Interest

Our special series on candidates in the upcoming May City Council elections continues with a focus on two more races.

📰 Highlights From Last Week’s Meetings of Interest

• City Plan Commissioners recommended reducing required parking minimums for several types of residential areas and eliminating them for many commercial and miscellaneous uses, The Dallas Morning News reports. The City Council will consider the recommendations in the coming months.

📝 Memos of Interest

• City Council members are holding in-person and virtual budget listening sessions this week. Check out the complete schedule.

• Here’s the complete City Manager memo packet for Friday, March 21, 2025.

🤝 Meetings of Interest: March 24 - 28

Monday, March 24

Housing and Homelessness Solutions Committee, 9 a.m., Council Chambers, 6th Floor, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.

• Committee members will discuss a proposed $7 million loan agreement with developer Sycamore Strategies, LLC, to support a permanent supportive housing project at a building that once housed the Braniff Airlines hostess college. The proposed Braniff Lofts development would include 12 studio-bedroom and 36 one-bedroom units for formerly homeless people, according to this memo. City Council members are expected to vote on the loan agreement on April 23.

Government Performance and Financial Management Committee, 1 p.m., Council Chambers, 6th Floor, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.

• The City’s requirement that City Council sign off on any contract above $100,000 often adds months to the procurement process, potentially delaying the delivery of goods and services to residents. Increasing that threshold to $500,000 “could eliminate delays for 33% of contracts while reducing oversight for only 1.9% of total contract value,” according to a report from nonprofit Child Poverty Action Lab. The report is part of a review of the City’s procurement process ordered by City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert and summarized in this briefing.

• If you are in search of a guide for how to talk to your parents about artificial intelligence, this briefing is a good place to start and includes many cute cat photos. It also has updates on how the City is navigating policies around appropriate use of AI.

• Here’s an inventory of properties leased by the City, including costs and broken down by department.

Tuesday, March 25

Quality of Life, Arts, and Culture Committee, 9 a.m., Council Chambers, 6th Floor, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.

• The City is planning to spend up to $6.2 million to rehabilitate the former Women’s Museum at Fair Park to serve as the temporary home of The Black Academy of Arts & Letters (TBAAL) through 2028, according to this briefing. The relocation cost is part of a contract approved by City Council earlier this year to redo the current TBAAL home as part of the Downtown convention center redevelopment.

Special Called Public Safety Committee, 9 a.m., Council Briefing Room, 6ES, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.

• Dallas police say violent crime is down in every category except business robberies through February of this year. Read the latest violent crime update.

• Committee members will discuss potential revisions to police applicant qualifications that would make it possible for people without military experience or college credits to become officers. Read more.

• Dallas police response times to 911 calls are continuing to trend in the wrong direction, even with fewer total calls so far this year, according to Dallas police data. The department is missing its response time goal for every category of incident — by hours for less serious emergencies. DPD has in recent years expanded use of an online reporting system in what was said to be an effort to free up officers to respond faster to more urgent calls. It apparently is not having the desired impact.

Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, 1 p.m., Council Chambers, 6th Floor, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.

• The Harold Simmons Park groundbreaking is set for April 8, according to this update presentation on the planned green spaces between and overlooking the Trinity River levees.

• City staff says top transportation priorities for Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) consideration include design of a convention center rail station and development of a “one-seat ride” from the convention center to DFW Airport. The “longer term” priority list includes the Streetcar Central Link to connect the McKinney Avenue Trolley with the Dallas Streetcar. Read more.

• Another robotics delivery company is entering the Dallas market in partnership with Uber Eats, according to this memo. Serve Robotics is soft launching in Uptown, with potential expansion to other areas of the city. Avride robots have already been delivering food in Downtown for months.

Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Board Committee-of-the-Whole, 2 p.m., DART Conference Room C - 1st Floor, 1401 Pacific Avenue; DART Board of Directors’ Meeting, 6 p.m., Board Room, 1401 Pacific Avenue

• Board members will discuss state legislation that could dramatically reduce funding and remake the governance of the regional transit agency. The board is working to resolve issues locally with the hope that doing so will make state intervention unnecessary.

• Board members are expected to vote on a resolution to demonstrate the agency’s commitment to local resolution of service area city requests. Separately, the board will take up a resolution backing potential agency governance changes.

Wednesday, March 26

Dallas City Council Meeting, 9 a.m., Council Chambers, 6th Floor, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.

• Item 3 would restore $462,416 for the continued operations and maintenance of a Downtown tunnel under Thanks-Giving Square that raised concerns during budget discussions last year. It also includes a $7.6 million allocation of federal pandemic relief funds to be used for Dallas police hiring and retention.

• Item 19 authorizes the City to make an $11.3 million purchase of a North Dallas strip shopping center that could one day become part of the long-promised park where Valley View Center once stood. More on that from the great Robert Wilonsky in his return to The Dallas Morning News.

• Item 33 extends the City’s management agreement with the Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) for the Downtown facility through September 30, 2027. The City and DMA are negotiating a longer term extension.

• Item 34 is the City’s latest statement of support for fully funding DART at the current 1% sales tax rate. The resolution comes as state legislators continue deliberations on potential funding cuts.

• Item 52 is a closed session discussion of a potential real estate transaction or financial incentives at 1607 Commerce Street, which is a portion of the Downtown Neiman Marcus store now owned by the City. The discussion is happening the same week City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert is expected to meet with Saks Global representatives about the future of the store that is currently set to close next week.

• Item 54 is formal acceptance of a donation to the City of a slice of land under the Downtown Neiman Marcus store that was said to have been at the heart of Saks Global’s decision to close the store. Slaughter Partners agreed to donate the property following talks with a group led by Tolbert, Downtown Dallas, Inc. (DDI) President & CEO Jennifer Scripps, Todd Interests Founder Shawn Todd, and Dallas Economic Development Corporation CEO Linda McMahon.

• Z26 is the North Dallas Pepper Square Shopping Center rezoning case that has drawn opposition from some area residents. City Plan Commissioners last month signed off on a plan that allows for a mixed-use development with nearly 1,000 housing units and at least 35,000 square feet of retail or personal service businesses near Belt Line and Preston roads. Read more from The Dallas Morning News and WFAA.

🗣️ Quote of Interest

Did I miss anything? Do you have any questions? Just want to talk about meetings and memos and other fun stuff? Hit me up.