On Chief of Police Daniel C. Comeaux’s first day, we briefly chatted with him about the move to Dallas, goals for the future and what to expect. We were told by the police department that we could only ask introductory questions and refrain from bringing up topics like immigration and marijuana. We look forward to revisiting those subjects with the chief in the future.
What experiences are you bringing to DPD from your diverse experiences in law enforcement?
I’ve been in law enforcement for over 33 years. I feel like I’m uniquely qualified for these positions from all the places that I have policed in some very large police departments, but also some smaller police departments, like when I policed in Mississippi, in Gulfport and Jackson, where there’s a lot of poverty areas. I’ve policed across the entire United States — San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston.
Why Dallas?
Dallas has always had the reputation of being one of the top police departments. When I started the search on where I wanted to work — I actually did a Google search, and we know Google does not lie — I put in there, ‘What are the best police departments in the United States?’ And one of the ones that came up was Dallas. I started really focusing on Dallas, and when it came open, I was like, ‘I can’t believe this is open. Let’s go for it.’
What are your goals?
First of all, we’re going to try and hire more officers. I understand what’s happening there. We’re going to be very aggressive in trying to hire more officers, but I also want the police officers to understand that the residents want us here.
What are some of the biggest issues that you want to tackle?
Anyone out there who’s in Dallas, especially those who have felony warrants, should be worried about us knocking on their door, because we want to get all of those felony warrants off the street.
What is your plan for engaging with the community?
The community will know me. Every area of Dallas will get to know me. If they want to meet me, I will come. Not only me, my command staff will come.
This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
