Joe Garza
Joe Garza, Sergeant
Dallas Police Department (Retired)
Career Highlights
- Marksmanship Award
- Certificate of Merit Unit Award
- Certificate of Merit
- Police Commendation Award
- Perfect Attendance 20 Years
- Safe Driving 25 Years
Joe Garza
began his law enforcement career with the Dallas Police Department in January 1989. In January of 1992, he was selected to join the Narcotics “Street Squad” Unit. This unit tasked with making cases on street-level drug dealers. While assigned to the Narcotics Street Squad, Joe worked undercover and executed hundreds of dynamic entry search warrants as the point entry member of the warrant team.
In April 2000, Joe was promoted to Senior Corporal and worked in the Drug Interdiction Unit of the Southeast Patrol Division. In April 2001, he was selected to join the Robbery Unit of the Crimes Against Persons Division as a detective. During his time as a detective in the Crimes Against Persons Division, Joe investigated hundreds of cases, often relying on interview and interrogation skills to obtain confessions from suspects.
In June 2005, Joe was promoted to Sergeant. In June of 2006, he was selected to join the Public Integrity Unit as one of two-unit supervisors. This unit criminally investigated city employees, public officials, and police officers. In 2010, Joe was selected to join the Homicide Unit as a supervisor. As a supervisor, Joe has led hundreds of murder investigations along with suicides and unexplained deaths and officer-involved shootings.
On July 7, 2016, Joe supervised the interviews and interrogations on the worst day in Dallas Police history when four Dallas officers and one DART officer were guns downed in downtown Dallas. Today Joe was one of three Homicide sergeants in the Dallas Police Department. Joe’s career has been very diverse and has gained the knowledge and experience and expertise to lead many different investigations with the Dallas Police Department.
Joe retired in April 2018 after serving nearly 30 years with the Dallas Police Department. Joe is certified by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) as an instructor.