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The chief of police shall:
(1) have immediate direction and control of the police department, subject to the supervision of the city manager, and also subject to such rules, regulations, and orders as the city manager may prescribe, not inconsistent with the ordinances of the city, and shall promulgate all orders, rules, and regulations for government of the police force;
(2) devote the chief’s entire time to the discharge of official duties, and shall not be absent from the city except in the performance of official duties, unless granted a written leave of absence by the city manager;
(3) keep the office of the chief of police open at all hours, day and night, and either the chief or a subordinate shall be in constant attendance of such office;
(4) prescribe the uniforms and badges for the members of the police force and direct the manner in which the members of the police force shall be armed;
(5) perform such other duties as may be required by the city manager or by ordinance of the city council. (Amend. of 5-3-97, Prop. No. 6)
The members of the police department, other than the chief of police and assistants provided by ordinance, shall be selected from the list of eligibles prepared by the civil service commission. In case of emergency, the mayor, the city manager, or the chief of police may appoint additional patrol officers and other officers for temporary service, who need not be in the classified service. Each member of the police department, both rank and file, shall be issued a warrant of appointment signed by the city manager in which the date of appointment shall be stated, and such shall be the member’s commission. Each member of the police department shall, before entering upon any duties, subscribe to an oath that the member will faithfully, without fear or favor, perform the duties of the office, and such oath shall be filed and preserved with the records of the police department, and in addition, the several officers of the force shall, if so required by the council, give bond in such penal sum and with such security as the council may prescribe by ordinance. The cost of such bond is to be borne by the city. (Amend. of 6-12-73, Prop. No. 26; Amend. of 5-3-97, Prop. No. 6)
The chief of police shall have the right to discipline any of the officers or employees who may be under the chief’s jurisdiction and control for violations of city ordinances or federal or state law, or for failure to obey orders given by the proper authority, or the orders, rules, and regulations promulgated by the chief of police. The chief of police may delegate this authority to discipline as he or she deems fit. If any officer or employee is discharged, the chief of police shall forthwith in writing certify the fact, together with the cause for the action, to the city manager. A disciplined officer or employee shall have 10 days from receipt of notice of a suspension, demotion, or discharge within which to demand a hearing before the city manager, as provided in this Charter, but such demand must be made in writing. If demanded, the city manager shall proceed to inquire into the cause of the discipline and render judgment thereon, which judgment, if the charge is sustained, may be suspension, reduction in rank, discharge, or such other discipline as may seem just and equitable to the city manager under all the facts and circumstances of the particular case. Such judgment is final unless a discharged or demoted officer or employee desires to exercise the right of a public hearing before a trial board or an administrative law judge as provided by this Charter. (Amend. of 4-3-76, Prop. No. 5; Amend. of 4-2-83, Prop. No. 7; Amend. of 5-1-93, Prop. No. 8; Amend. of 5-3-97, Prop. No. 6; Amend. of 11-8-05, Prop. No. 5; Amend. of 11-5-24)
(a) The officers and privates constituting the police department of the City of Dallas are vested with all the power and authority given to them as peace officers under the laws of the state, the federal law, and the ordinances and regulations of the city, and it shall be the duty of each such officer and private:
(1) to use every endeavor to prevent the commission within the city of offenses against the laws of the state, the federal government, and the ordinances and regulations of the city;
(2) to observe and enforce all such laws, ordinances, and regulations;
(3) to detect and arrest offenders against all such laws, ordinances, and regulations; and
(4) to preserve the public peace, health, and safety.
(b) All police officers shall execute any criminal warrant, warrant of arrest, writ, subpoena, or other process that may be placed in their hands by the duly constituted authorities of the city. No police officer shall receive any fee or other compensation for any service rendered in the performance of the officer’s duty other than the salary paid by the city, nor shall the police officer receive a fee as a witness in any case arising under the criminal laws of this state or under the ordinances or regulations of the city and prosecuted in the municipal court of the city or in any criminal court in Dallas County. (Amend. of 5-3-97, Prop. No. 6; Amend. of 11-8-05, Prop. No. 3)
No person, except as otherwise provided by general law or the Charter, or the ordinances passed in pursuance thereof, shall act as special police or special detectives, except upon written authority from the city manager. Such authority, when conferred, shall be exercised only under the direction and control of the chief of police and for the time specified in the appointment. (Amend. of 5-3-97, Prop. No. 6)
Any person, other than a member of the police force of the City of Dallas, who wears the uniform or badge as prescribed by the chief of police for the City of Dallas Police Department, or a uniform or badge so closely similar as to be mistaken for the uniform or badge of the City of Dallas Police Department, shall be subject to such fine as may be prescribed by the city council by ordinance. (Amend. of 5-3-97, Prop. No. 6)