May 2025. BLUES Vo. 41 No. 5

also take care of city

also take care of city council, andit’ll also take care of residents,"he said.When you guys, all the candidates,met the community, youtold our reporter that you’re anoutsider. So you’re not beholdento anyone. Talk about being anoutsider making it a good thing,not a negative thing."I come in. I owe no one anyfavors. I’m coming in, and I wasn’ta classmate of anybody, right?So I’m going to put a fresh set ofeyes on it. Those who work willget everything they deserve, andthey’ll probably get more thanthey deserve if they’re a worker.But those who don’t work, they’llunderstand that they need towork if they want to be a part ofthis command staff," he said.Former Interim Chief MichaelIgo announced his retirement lastweek. When asked about othercommand staff changes, Comeauxsaid he’s looking at his organizationcharge and will makedecisions at the appropriate time.Staff intervened to stop DanielComeaux from answering questionsabout the voter-approvedHERO amendments, DPD's immigrationpolicy and its ballooningresponse timesComeaux is a 33-year lawenforcement veteran, who hadbeen serving as Special Agentin Charge (SAC) of the DrugEnforcement Administration’sHouston Field Division, overseeing12 offices throughout Texas,including Houston, San Antonio,and Austin.His jurisdiction covered nearly16,000,000 residents who livein 114 counties across 118,000square miles, 645 of which are atthe United States-Mexico border.His leadership focused on intelligence-drivencrime reduction,operational efficiency, interagencycollaboration, and officerdevelopment.“Special Agent in Charge Comeauxhas consistently demonstrateda proven track record ofsuccessfully addressing complexcrime challenges across largescale, diverse populations andgeographic areas – that spaninternationally,” said Dallas CityManager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert.“The City of Dallas continues toachieve crime reduction year afteryear. I am confident with SACComeaux at the helm, we willcontinue to be one of the safestlarge cities in the country, whilebuilding trust, and bolstering ourrecruitment and retention efforts.I want to thank Interim ChiefMichael T. Igo for his longstandingservice to the Dallas PoliceDepartment, and his willingnessto lead during this time of transition.”SAC Comeaux was one of fivefinalists selected to participate inthe rigorous and thorough vettingprocess, which included keystakeholder feedback panels, andCity Council and public meet andgreets. Participants in the meetand greet were invited to submitfeedback on each candidate.A native of New Orleans, hebegan his career in 1991 withthe Houston Police Department(HPD), he specialized in communitypolicing, narcotics enforcement,and high-risk investigations.In 1997, he transitionedto the DEA, where he led majoroperations in Houston, San Francisco,and Los Angeles, targetingviolent crime and drug trafficking.His strategies have resultedin significant crime reduction,including a 40% decrease in overdosedeaths in Laredo, Texas.“I joined the police force becauseI witnessed what can happento neighborhoods that aren’tsafe. At the federal level, I amknown as the local cop becauseof my collaborative approach totackling crime and my dedicationto developing leaders in publicsafety who are bridge buildersfor the community. I am proudthat my career in law enforcementhas come full circle andlook forward to serving alongsidethe men and women of the DallasPolice Department.EDITOR: In July, we will sitdown with Chief Comeaux andsee how his first 90-days in Dallashas progressed and get hisinsight on where the departmentis headed and his plans forchanges in the department.48 The BLUES - MAY ‘25

The BLUES - MAY ‘25 49