Garland City Manager Bryan Bradford has nominated Jeff Bryan as the new Chief of Police, effective Feb. 20, 2019. City Manager Bradford will submit his selection of Assistant Chief Bryan to the Garland City Council for formal approval in accordance with Texas Civil Service statutes (Chapter 143 of the Texas Local Government Code) on Feb. 19, 2019. Jeff Bryan currently serves as Garland’s Assistant Chief of Police, and will succeed former Chief Mitch Bates, who will now serve as Deputy City Manager for the City of Garland.
A national search was conducted, garnering several qualified applicants including experienced chiefs and law enforcement professionals. The City conducted a formal candidate review process on Thursday, Feb. 7, for the top four candidates, which included a series of interviews with three panels, including various community group leaders as well as current police chiefs, city managers, City department directors, and members from the Garland Police Association and Garland Citizen Police Academy Alumni Association. Panel interviews addressed the top priorities and characteristics shared by Garland stakeholders during the community input process.
“Through a number of citizen input meetings and close work with our community leaders, we were able to confirm there is strong support for continuing the current direction in police,” said City Manager Bradford. “There is no question that Garland has benefited from the strong relationship between the Police Department and the community. After careful consideration, I believe that Jeff Bryan is best suited to build on the advances that we have made.”
Assistant Chief Bryan has served with the Garland Police Department 22 years (with a total of 24 years in law enforcement), including 13 years in a leadership role. He has held numerous ranks including lieutenant, captain and, most recently, assistant chief. Bryan holds a Bachelor of Science degree in political science (with a minor in economics) from Texas A&M University and a Master of Public Affairs degree from the University of Texas at Dallas. He also has a Master Peace Officer Certification from Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE). Additional professional development and training include FBI National Academy (FBINA) and Senior Management Institute for Police (SMIP).
For more information about the City of Garland, visit GarlandTX.gov.
