With the recent promotion of Chief Tom Lawrence, the search quickly began for his replacement.

That search ended last week when the Dallas Police Department announced that former NE Division Administration Lieutenant, Gloria Perez, had been promoted to Deputy Chief.

We caught up with new top cop, who was second in command under Chief Lawrence.

It was during his exit interview with LH Today, prior to her promotion, that Lawrence called Perez "one of the most capable lieutenants in the department."

LHT: Tell us about your background.

Perez: I’ve been with the Dallas Police Department for 27 years now. I’ve worked in a number of different departments throughout my career with DPD. Patrol, Communications, Investigations, Internal Affairs, Facilities Management and the Academy, just to name a few. I was first promoted to sergeant when I moved from the Southwest Division over to the jail. No one likes that assignment, but it was good for me.

I was promoted to Lieutenant in 2003 and while working in the Southwest Division, then moved on to the Academy and Internal Affairs before I came to work here in the Northeast Division for Chief Lawrence in 2008.

I have a Bachelors of Science and a Masters in Criminal Justice from UTA. As does my husband who is also with DPD. He is a sergeant and is a liasion between DPD and City Hall.

LHT: Chief Lawrence has talked about the work you’ve done to improve the Neighborhood Patrol Officers (NPO) in the Northeast Division and how the model might be used department wide going forward. Can you tell us about that?

Perez: When I arrived, people told me turning around the NPO would be tough to do. We needed the NPO’s to engage the community. In the past, we’ve all been given assignments but we don’t necessary see them through because we might get distracted by other assignments. That was the problem with the NPO’s. I decided to change the way they were working and wanted to empower them. Over time, we built on different concepts that allowed all of them to take ownership and develop a sense of pride in their properties. The end result was that they all began to work more effectively as a group. It was a big success.

All new initiatives are assigned to NPO’s. Things like the apartment Gold Star Program or mandatory crime reductions are good examples. It’s critical they are working well together and engaging the community as much as possible.

LHT: You’re a familiar face to many Lake Highlands residents. As the Admin Lieutenant, you were always very accessible. Can we expect the same from of you as Deputy Chief?

Perez: Yes, without question. The people in this community have seen me at many meetings and know I always encourage them to communicate with me. I’m very accessible and best communicated with via email. I will always respond or forward the email to someone who can handle any given situation. I enjoy interacting with the community and encourage people to email me with anything they feel needs my attention.

LHT: What did you learn from Chief Lawrence that you think will best serve you as Deputy Chief?

Perez: The biggest thing was his general philosophy of staff management. He was really good about letting his officers figure things out on their own. He knew when to give them some flexibility, but he also knew when to tighten things up a bit. There are times when you need to be real strict and others times when you just need to pick your battles.

I’ve learned a lot from numerous chiefs throughout my career. I’ve seen what works and what doesn’t.

LHT: How has your staff taken the news of your promotion?

Perez: Well, I’ve known many of these officers for a large part of my career. I’ve either worked with them in the past or was at the Academy with them. They know me as Gloria, not Chief. That is very important to me – to keep that relationship is important. Just like keeping the open communication with the community is important.

LHT: Who is taking over as the division's Administration Lieutenant – your replacement?

That would be Lt. Mackie D. Ham. He came to us from the Southwest.

LHT: What are your goals as the new Deputy Chief?

Perez: Of course continuing the reduction in crime, but also helping build up the quality of life for the people in the community. I’ll continue to be actively involved and meeting with the community as often as possible to figure out ways to accomplish these goals.

LHT: Can you share your opinion about the Dallas Housing Authority's plans here in Lake Highalnds?

Perez: I share the same opinion that Chief Lawrence does. We have to give the people a chance and need to help them have that chance until they prove otherwise. As a police department, we can’t and won’t get involved in debates over DHA, but what we can do is help improve the quality of life for the community, whether that includes residents from the DHA programs or not.

LHT: Tell us what you like to do in your spare time.

Perez: I like to travel, scrapbook and quilt, and usually our travel schedule has something to do with scrapbooking or quilting.

On behalf of everyone here in Lake Highlands, congratulations on your promotion, Chief Perez!