By Kelli Smith
https://www.dallasnews.com/
Dallas police oversight members arrived at their monthly meeting Tuesday expecting to speak with the city’s new top cop about a topic on many of their minds: immigration.
There was one catch: They weren’t allowed.
That directive came from the city attorney’s office minutes after Dallas police Chief Daniel Comeaux introduced himself to the Community Police Oversight Board. As board member Brandon Friedman began to ask the chief about concern with federal agencies’ handling of immigration enforcement, an assistant city attorney interrupted.
The meeting agenda, Daniel Moore told the board, said the chief’s presence was only for a general introduction. Board members cannot ask anything except for introductory questions, he said, such as how long he’s been in law enforcement and his federal background.
“This was noticed as an introduction for the chief,” Moore told the board. “Getting into specific policies, federal, state, or local is beyond the scope.”
The intervention spurred an outpouring of frustration from multiple board members, who said they felt the city set them up. The next scheduled oversight board meeting isn’t until August, and board members said they sent six pages of questions to Comeaux’s office on Monday that they’d hoped to address, including about immigration. Tuesday’s police oversight board meeting was the first that Comeaux, who started in April, has attended.
“This is not the meeting that we had anticipated,” board member Ozzie Smith said.
Some board members said they wanted private counsel, noting there’s a conflict of interest working with city attorneys. Board member Changa Higgins said city attorneys saw the oversight agenda days ago and heard oversight officials’ remarks in past meetings, when representatives discussed wanting clarification from Comeaux about immigration.
“You should work with the [oversight] office,” Higgins told city attorneys. “You don’t have a problem coming here telling us what we can’t do. … But then when you see something that we’re trying to do, we have the chief of police here, and we couldn’t even ask questions.”
City spokespeople did not provide comment. Dallas’ Chief of Public Safety Dominique Artis sat with Comeaux quietly as the city attorney told board members they couldn’t discuss policies with Comeaux.
Asked about board members’ allegations that the interference was set up to avoid discussing immigration, Comeaux told The Dallas Morning News in a text he’s not sure of city meeting rules, but he was present and his immigration stance is the same as what he’s previously told The News.
Days after he began as chief, Comeaux told The News his officers will assist federal immigration authorities if asked.
The turn of events was reminiscent of Comeaux’s first day as chief, when police spokespeople told reporters they could not ask him about specific policies, including immigration. In a circulated clip posted by WFAA-TV (Channel 8), a police spokesperson cuts in when a reporter brings up immigration and tells him to move on. Comeaux stays quiet during the exchange.
The oversight board could call for a special meeting, which was pitched by some members Tuesday. It was not immediately clear whether the board intends to do so.
Dallas officials have faced scrutiny on the topic of immigration. The city has been mired in pressure from the Texas attorney general after former interim Dallas police Chief Michael Igo said in March that police are not helping federal agencies detain people for immigration violations. The comment went viral, prompting a probe by Ken Paxton’s office and criticism from national conservative figures.
Comeaux adopted a different tone. In an interview with Fox News last week, he vowed to help federal agencies if requested. He said he’s been a crime-fighter and protector his entire career, stating: “Pick another city, don’t come to Dallas, you’re not welcome.”
That comment was promoted online by Fox News with the lead-in “SANCTUARY NO MORE.” Comeaux told concerned community members that remark was taken out of context and he was answering a question about his message for anyone who wants to bring violence and gangs.
Tuesday’s oversight meeting was more attended than the board’s usual monthly meetings, with around two dozen people gathered at City Hall. It came one day after some protesters clashed with Dallas police while expressing solidarity for demonstrators decrying immigration enforcement in Los Angeles. Police arrested one man and launched pepper balls to disperse crowds, marking the most taut interactions between Dallas police and protesters since 2020.
Dallas police oversight board members sent a letter Friday to Comeaux asking for a more detailed explanation on his views collaborating with federal authorities. The board wants to understand how his leadership navigates “the complex balance between compliance with federal mandates and responsiveness to the local community’s well-being,” the letter reads.
“We urge,” the letter continues, “that Dallas residents’ safety, well-being, and peace of mind remain the guiding priorities in all decisions involving cooperation with external agencies.”
By Kelli Smith
Kelli covers public safety and the Dallas Police Department for The Dallas Morning News. She grew up in El Paso and graduated from the University of Notre Dame with degrees in political science and film and a minor in journalism. Before joining the staff, she reported for the Chicago Tribune and KTSM, the NBC affiliate in El Paso.
This story, originally published in The Dallas Morning News, is reprinted as part of a collaborative partnership between The Dallas Morning News and Texas Metro News. The partnership seeks to boost coverage of Dallas’ communities of color, particularly in southern Dallas.
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