A Career of Service to the Community of Garland, Texas

Mitch Bates

Mitchel Bates
Chief of Police
Garland (TX) Police Department


Mitch Bates began his career with the Garland Police Department as a police officer in 1987. He served as a Patrol Officer for 5 years before becoming a School Resource Officer (SRO) for the next 4 years assigned to South Garland High School. After being promoted to supervisor in 1996, Mitch served in several capacities including Patrol, Community Relations, Homicide/Crimes Against Persons, and more. After advancing through the ranks as both a Captain and Assistant Chief, he became Chief of Police in July of 2003.

As Chief, Bates was instrumental in establishing the Community Leaders Group consisting of the leadership of the Garland Chapter of NAACP, Garland Association for Hispanic Affairs (GAFHA), Garland Chapter of LULAC, and the Garland Vietnamese leadership. This group meets regularly with the Police Chief, City Manager, and other key city staff members to discuss and address important issues that are relevant to the community.

During his tenure, the Police Department experienced significant growth and expansion in community policing programs such as the Neighborhood Police Officer (NPO) and the School Resources Officer (SRO) programs. Also, Chief Bates established a Community Relations Unit that interacts and responds to community needs in addition to addressing and providing services to those who are homeless. A Youth Police Academy program was implemented to continue to develop relationships and build understanding with high school students throughout the city.

Chief Bates with Garland Citizens Police Academy Alumni 2018
Chief Bates with Garland Citizens Police Academy Alumni 2018

 

The Garland Chapter of the NAACP has twice recognized him as Bridge Builder of the Year, in 2009 and 2015, in addition to a Servant Leadership Award in 2019. The Garland Association for Hispanic Affairs (GAFHA) twice honored Chief Bates with their Community Service Award in 2015 and 2019. The Community Leaders Group honored him with a Community Relations Award in 2019.

In 1986, Mitch obtained a Bachelor of Business Administration from Texas A&M University in Business Analysis: Design and Analysis of MIS Systems. In 1995, he earned a Master of Science from the University of Texas at Dallas in Organizational Behavior.

Mitch is a graduate of the 220th Session of the FBI National Academy as well as the Senior Management Institute for Police sponsored by the Police Executive Research Forum (affiliated with the prestigious Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University).

From 2010-2019, Mitch served as the Chairman of the North Texas Major Cities Police Chiefs group. From 2008-2012, he served as the Chairman of the Law Enforcement Committee of the Dallas County Criminal Justice Advisory Board.

In February of 2019, Mitch was promoted to Deputy City Manager & Chief Operating Officer to oversee the day-to-day operations of the City of Garland.

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