New Dallas Chief of Police Ready to Get to Work, Honored to be in Dallas

Dallas Chief of Police U. Renee Hall issued a brief statement Tuesday to mark her first day on the job.

On the department's DPD Beat blog, Hall said it was an honor to be the chief and that she's ready to roll up her sleeves and get to work.

"Today is the first day of a new chapter in the life of the Dallas Police Department. It is an honor to serve as your police chief and work alongside the men and women of the Dallas Police Department. I stand eager and ready to roll up my sleeves as we continue our journey in making Dallas the safest community in the country. I truly appreciate the warm welcome and expressions of love received, and I am so proud to call Dallas my new home. -- Chief U. Renee Hall

Hall, most recently a deputy chief with the Detroit Police Department, is the first woman to hold the position in the department's 136-year history. She is the daughter of a murdered Detroit police officer and spent more than two decades with the department before coming to Dallas. Under Hall's leadership in Michigan, the city of Detroit experienced a 40-year low in homicides and double-digit reductions in violent crime for three consecutive years.

Hall was named the department's 29th chief in July following an exhaustive nationwide search after the abrupt retirement of Chief David O. Brown in the fall of 2016.

Brown, who grew up in Dallas and attended UT, had led the department for six years, but had spent decades on the force. His departure came only a few months after five law enforcement officers were ambushed and gunned down in downtown Dallas near the end of a peaceful protest.

Since Brown's departure on Oct. 22, 2016 the department has been led by interim Chief of Police David Pughes who said early on that he was not seeking to fill the position permanently.