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Dallas city manager says police chief search on schedule; regional training academy planned for 2026
Summary
City Manager Kimberly Beiser Tolbert told the Community Police Oversight Board the police chief search remains on track for an early-April selection and that the city is pursuing a two-project public safety training plan with a basic academy at UNT Dallas and a separate public-safety complex, aiming to break ground in summer 2026.
City Manager Kimberly Beiser Tolbert told the Community Police Oversight Board on March 11 that the city’s recruitment process for the next Dallas police chief remains on schedule and will include community feedback panels, executive interviews and public meet-and-greets ahead of an expected early‑April selection.
Tolbert said the city engaged a third-party firm to run a transparent, inclusive search and that the board — and the public — will see outreach this week inviting people to community feedback panels. “I made a commitment to the city council that we would have the police chief selection done by early April, so we are on schedule,” Tolbert said.
The city manager also briefed the board on plans for a new regional Dallas Law Enforcement Training Academy tied to the University of North Texas at Dallas. Tolbert said the project is being treated as two related efforts: a basic training academy and associated in‑service training that would be housed at UNT Dallas, plus a separate public‑safety complex for activities that are not appropriate for the university site — for example, indoor/outdoor firing ranges and obstacle courses. Tolbert said city leaders will meet in Austin with the lieutenant governor to confirm funding and to close a remaining fundraising gap, and that the city hopes to break ground in the summer of 2026.
Why it matters: The chief selection will shape Dallas Police Department leadership and policy direction; the training academy could alter how basic and regional training is delivered and where specialized facilities are located, affecting operations and partnerships with UNT Dallas and other regional agencies.
Tolbert described the search process in three main phases: community feedback panels that will include board representation, executive team reviews with formal interviews, and a public opportunity to meet finalists. She did not specify how many finalists would be recommended to the executive team, saying only that the city will “present a pool of candidates that we truly believe are at the level and bring the skill set that we need.”
On the training facility, Tolbert said money was included in the city’s 2024 bond program toward the university‑site components and that fundraising remains necessary for the off‑campus elements. “For the commitment that was made for the university, we’re definitely going to have the basic training academy,” she said, adding that the separate public‑safety complex would allow Dallas Fire‑Rescue and regional partners to use specialized facilities that the university campus cannot house.
Board members asked whether the oversight board would have dedicated office or meeting space in the new facilities; Tolbert said that ceremonial and meeting space is planned but that dedicated oversight offices were not yet part of the design. She said the project remains in early planning and that details about facility programming and access will be refined as funding is secured.
The board received the report and posed several clarifying questions; Tolbert said the city will circulate more details about the community panels and candidate list once they are finalized.
Ending: Tolbert said the city will continue updating the board and the public as the search and academy planning proceed and that further announcements and invitations will follow in the coming weeks.
