Ep. 83 - Dallas PD Chief Daniel Comeaux: first-year initiatives, successes, future goals; Drawing on his 35-year law enforcement career from Houston PD to DEA.

Ep. 83 - Chief Daniel Comeaux, the 31st Chief of Police of the Dallas Police Department joins me to look back at his first year in the role – his initiatives, his accomplishments as well as his goals for the future. Chief came to the job with 35 years in law enforcement, six with Houston PD starting in 1991 where he spent much of his time in narcotics; and 28 with the DEA which he joined in 1997.

As I say in the episode, I think Chief of Police is a tough job, no matter what department, no matter what city. And the first year in that position has to be the most demanding – fraught with scrutiny, challenges and potential pitfalls – especially when you come in as an outsider to the department and to the city and on top of that, when you’re coming to it after 28 years on the Federal side.

In this interview, you will hear just how well Chief Comeaux has navigated these waters. He has drawn on all of his experience to define his role, strengthen the department, reduce crime and successfully recruit. He has done it judiciously with keen insight, thoughtful decisions, and I would add, humor.

We talk about what shaped him and his leadership style over the years. We discuss what drew him to law enforcement, and some memorable stories from patrol in Houston including the people he remembers and all those fights and foot chases. We cover his time with DEA and talk about the case he is most proud of; the challenges of working hundreds of miles of the Mexican border while in both Tucson and Houston; and his work navigating every drug epidemic over those 28 years, from crack to ecstasy, meth, opioids and now fentanyl.

Thank you, Chief for a great interview and for taking the time. And thanks DPD Officer Joe King head of DPD’s wellness unit and host of the podcast ATO Bridging the Divide for connecting me with Chief and allowing me to share Chief’s story with my audience.

Dallas PD is hiring! Check out all the info here:

https://www.dallaspolice.net/joindpd

Check out ATO: Bridging the Divide. Chief’s Episodes are called “Geaux Time.”

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ato-bridging-the-divide/id1582921763

You can hear my interview with DPD Officer Joe King Ep. 77

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/on-being-a-police-officer/id1532102404?i=1000730846623

Dallas PD Child Abuse Detective Kristin King Ep. 79

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/on-being-a-police-officer/id1532102404?i=1000743979081

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