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Former Dallas police chief David Kunkle died on Friday, according to multiple reports. Kunkle, 72, served as chief in Dallas from 2004 until his retirement in 2010. Kunkle also served as police chief in Grand Prairie and Arlington, after beginning his career as a Dallas beat cop in 1972.
In 2021, Kunkle and his wife, former television news reporter Sara Dodd, announced he had been diagnosed with Lewy body dementia. According to The Dallas Morning News when breaking the story, Lewy body dementia is “a disease caused when protein deposits, called Lewy bodies, develop in nerve cells in the parts of the brain tasked with thought, memory and movement.”
NBC 5 reported that Kunkle addressed his diagnosis and uncertain future at an event in 2021.
“Ultimately, it’s going to be fatal. I don’t know if it’s going to be two years or 10 years, but it’s progressive and each day it gets a little bit worse,” the report quoted Kunkle as saying.
Dallas is a stronger city because of former @DallasPD Chief David Kunkle. Chief Kunkle’s service saved lives and set a new standard for police leadership across the nation. He will be remembered always for his dedication to keeping Dallas residents safe. May he rest in peace!
— Mayor Eric L. Johnson (@Johnson4Dallas) July 14, 2023
“Dallas is a stronger city because of former @DallasPD Chief David Kunkle,” tweeted Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson on Friday. “Chief Kunkle’s service saved lives and set a new standard for police leadership across the nation. He will be remembered always for his dedication to keeping Dallas residents safe. May he rest in peace!”
During his time as chief in Dallas, Kunkle developed a reputation for gaining positive results and ushering in favorable changes throughout the department. WFAA notes that Dallas’ crime rate dropped in each of his six years on the job. “The city reached its lowest number of murders in 40 years, dropping from 248 murders the year he started to 148 when he left,” the WFAA report states.
In a written statement, current Dallas police Chief Eddie Garcia remembered Kunkle fondly.
“I had the honor of meeting Chief Kunkle the week that I arrived in Dallas,” he wrote. “He left a legacy, and [a] very high bar to achieve for any leader of this organization.”
Funeral arrangements for Kunkle have not yet been announced.
