DALLAS (WBAP/KLIF) – Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia said Thursday that he respects a Dallas County Judge’s decision to order former Officer Bryan Riser’s release from jail, but insisted the investigation is ongoing.
According to DPD, Riser was named a person of interest in two 2017 murders in 2019. He wasn’t fired or arrested until last month. Chief Garcia took over the department earlier this year and was asked if he rushed the decision to arrest Riser.
“I can’t order an arrest, even if I wanted to,” said Chief Garcia. “What we did say to do was to write a statement of probable cause, and present to a Judge to see if we could make an arrest.”
The request for arrest was approved by a Judge, but during an examining trial this week another Judge ruled that there isn’t sufficient evidence to hold Riser. Several errors in the affidavits were also exposed at the examining trial. Riser was released from jail hours later.
Chief Garcia defended his investigators.
“Mistakes of them mind are different than mistakes of the heart, and we need to look at that,” the Chief insisted.
Chief Garcia stood behind Riser’s termination from the department, citing administrative reasons.
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson said on Thursday that he has not retracted his request for the City Council to investigate why Riser was left on the force after being named a person of interest in two murders.
“The intent of this committee was never to adjudicate the criminal case,” said Mayor Johnson. “The City Council is responsible for providing oversight of the Dallas Police Department and its civilian leadership at City Hall. Our residents deserve to know who knew what, when they knew it, and who made the relevant decisions regarding the former officer’s employment status. The committee remains tasked with finding those answers.”
A City Council Committee is expected to open an investigation, but it’s not clear when that will happen.
Listen to Clayton Neville’s story below:
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