Chief David Brown is a nationally recognized law enforcement expert, civic leader, and proud Dallasite. Chief Brown joined the Dallas Police Department in 1983 following his graduation from the University of Texas at Austin and served as Chief of Police from 2010 to 2016. Between 2020 and 2023, he was Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. In 2023, he returned to Dallas, where he is Chief Operating Officer at Loncar Lyon Jenkins law firm. Recently, Chief Brown was a guest of the Learning From Leaders podcast, where he spoke with host Lili Clark about his illustrious career, mentorship, and giving back.
“It is time for me to plant trees whose shade I won’t enjoy. I’m investing in people, particularly young people, so they can blossom into leaders themselves.”
David O. Brown
People-Centered Leadership
When it comes to leadership, Chief Brown cites his mother as his foremost mentor. Throughout her career in banking, Norma Jean Brown was frequently the first Black person and first woman companies hired. Her experiences in the workplace inspired Chief Brown to “always stand up for people who are being mistreated,” especially women facing bias. As his career progressed, he dedicated himself to “creating a culture of people who feel appreciated.” To do this, he began a practice of valuing individuals by giving raises to the overlooked workhorses of organizations and celebrating birthdays and work anniversaries.
Within the police force, Chief Brown’s earliest lesson in leadership came after he was promoted to lieutenant. As a young man overseeing officers with many more years’ experience, he learned that people often won’t follow a supervisor’s instructions “until they know you really care about them and who they are as people.” Following this lesson, he began getting to know members individually and asking their opinion of issues that affected them.
Listen to the Podcast Episode
Creating Lasting Partnerships
After becoming Chief of Police in 2010, Chief Brown developed close working relationships with mayors and city managers. These partnerships helped him to effectively steward the department through challenging events, including the 2016 shooting in downtown Dallas, which killed five officers, injured nine others, and wounded two civilians.
Chief Brown’s commitment to strong relationships also influenced his community approach. Acknowledging how intimidating an encounter with a uniformed police officer can be, Chief Brown began to connect with people on an individual level. To do this, he shared details of his own life and emphasized his duty to serve the people of Dallas. He learned that effective solutions often hinge on partnerships between the police and community members: communities know what they need to fix a problem but depend on the department’s assistance to implement these solutions.
Investing in the Future
Today, Chief Brown is dedicated to “planting trees whose shade [he] won’t enjoy,” or building a better future by investing in young people. An example of this is a relationship he developed with a young man delivering DoorDash to Loncar Lyon Jenkins law firm, a teacher who aspired to become a lawyer. Following a conversation about the young man’s goals and experience, the firm offered him a job. Currently, he is preparing to apply to law school. Chief Brown emphasizes the joy it brings him to see “a young person blossom into who they will be.”
A Longstanding Commitment to Dallas
Chief Brown joined the police department after witnessing the effects of the crack cocaine epidemic in his neighborhood in the early 1980s, believing he could have a positive impact as a member of the force. As an officer, he saw firsthand how lack of access to healthcare and fresh food “were the root causes of some of the problems that played themselves out with crime.” Further, he saw fellow officers struggle with mental health following traumatic experiences. Today, Chief Brown continues his commitment to improving Dallasites’ lives by sitting on the board of several organizations dedicated to improving health and wellness in the city, including Southwestern Medical Foundation.
To aspiring young leaders just beginning their careers, Chief Brown encourages involvement in causes that have directly affected them or their families. This advice will help them lead from a place of curiosity, passion, and understanding, just as Chief Brown has done.
