This past weekend, Dallas residents had the opportunity to meet the three remaining finalists for the role of city manager during a public meet-and-greet event.
As reported by the Dallas Express, the event provided the public with a chance to engage with the candidates, including Interim City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert.
However, Tolbert’s track record—particularly on public safety—has become a central point of concern as the city seeks strong leadership to address its most pressing challenges.
Dallas residents sent a clear message in November 2024 when they voted to amend the city charter, mandating a minimum of 4,000 police officers to address the city’s critical staffing shortages.
Yet, under Interim City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert’s leadership, this voter-driven directive remains unaddressed, raising concerns about her ability to meet the city’s most pressing needs.
Tolbert’s 100-Day Plan promised to prioritize recruitment and retention, particularly for public safety roles.
Key initiatives included evaluating educational requirements for police officers, eliminating barriers such as outdated tattoo and beard policies, implementing recommendations from a Talent Acquisition Audit, and launching a marketing strategy to attract top talent.
Despite these ambitious goals, her reported accomplishments reveal a lack of focus on public safety.
Instead of addressing police staffing shortages, Tolbert delegated marketing and advertising for recruitment to non-public safety teams and focused largely on administrative and technical roles.
While she claims progress on developing a citywide talent acquisition strategy, there has been no visible plan to meet the charter’s requirement for 4,000 officers.
Compounding these challenges, the Dallas Police Department faced a leadership vacuum during Tolbert’s tenure as interim city manager.
The resignation of Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia left the department without stable leadership at a time when it was already struggling to meet staffing and operational goals.
The lack of a cohesive strategy to address recruitment and retention has exacerbated public safety concerns.
The DPD currently operates with approximately 3,100 officers, leaving the city far short of the new mandate.
Tolbert’s failure to provide a clear plan for recruiting and retaining police officers, coupled with the police chief’s resignation under her watch, underscores a troubling disconnect between promises and performance.
As the city moves forward, the focus must remain on decisive leadership capable of delivering the change voters have demanded.