Dallas Police Chief Daniel Comeaux listens during a news conference at Jack Evans Police Headquarters on Aug. 10, 2026, in Dallas. Comeaux said Thursday he was “highly disappointed” that department members leaked details of an ongoing investigation into the department’s top spokesperson to the media.
Elías Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News
Dallas’ police chief on Thursday defended the decision to keep the department’s top spokesperson on duty during an investigation and accused employees of disclosing the ongoing internal inquiry to the media.
“I am highly disappointed that members of our department chose to share unverified allegations about another employee, potentially hindering a criminal investigation, and causing a distraction from our focus: protecting the City of Dallas,” Chief Daniel Comeaux said in an unusual statement Thursday.
The department confirmed last week that its public integrity unit was investigating Allison Hudson, a key hire by Comeaux after he took over in April 2025. That unit investigates criminal conduct allegations involving city employees.
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The decision to keep Hudson on duty has drawn scrutiny this week, including from a City Council member and the president of the city’s largest police union.
Comeaux’s statement cited department policies barring the unauthorized disclosure of police information and the criteria for administrative leave or restricted duty. The department said a complaint alone does not warrant placing an employee on leave, highlighting how some investigations by the public integrity unit are conducted without the subject being made aware.
“I have not and will not ask for, imply, or order, any change to an investigation involving a DPD employee,” Comeaux said.
WFAA-TV (Channel 8) first reported the existence of the investigation, citing unnamed sources that told the station Hudson was under investigation for allegedly impersonating a police officer. Hudson is a civilian.
Dallas Deputy Chief William Griffith (from left), Assistant Chief Samuel Sarmiento, Executive Assistant Chief Terrence Rhodes and Allison Hudson watch body-camera footage during a March 16, 2026, news conference. Hudson was a key hire by Chief Daniel Comeaux after he took over in April 2025.
Chitose Suzuki/Staff Photographer
Hudson, who recently marked one year on the job, oversees the Dallas police’s media relations and community affairs office. She previously worked for the Houston Police Department. She reports directly to Comeaux, who also came to Dallas from Houston, where he led the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Houston Field Division.
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During an unrelated news conference last week, Comeaux confirmed there was an inquiry but declined to provide information about its nature or scope. A department spokesperson on Thursday did not answer a list of questions about the investigation.
The chief’s statement comes hours after Dallas Police Association President Sean Pease publicly raised concerns about how the investigation was being handled, questioning why Hudson had not been placed on leave.
“I have represented Dallas police officers who were immediately placed on administrative leave while being investigated for substantially less serious allegations, including misdemeanor offenses,” Pease said in a statement. “Yet here we have an employee reportedly under investigation for a felony offense, and serious questions remain about whether the same standards of accountability are being applied.”
The decision also surprised City Council member Cara Mendelsohn, who told WFAA, “Typically, we see employees put on administrative leave while the investigation is completed.”
Council member Gay Donnell Willis, who chairs the city’s public safety committee, declined to comment on the investigation, saying it would “not be right or fair for me to discuss what’s under review.”
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Dallas Police Association President Sean Pease talks on the phone at the scene of an officer-involved shooting at an apartment complex on Aug. 7, 2026. Pease on Thursday questioned why Allison Hudson remained on duty, saying officers had been placed on leave for less serious allegations.
Elías Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News
The department’s general orders, the rules governing officers and employees, say employees may be placed on paid administrative leave while allegations that could warrant formal discipline are investigated, but do not require leave solely because an investigation is underway.
Another order requires administrative leave or restricted duty under specified circumstances, including certain criminal charges, warrants or arrests.
There is a recent example of Dallas police waiting months to place an employee on administrative leave.
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Jaime Castro, then president of the Dallas Police Association, was involved in an off-duty crash that killed Atianna Washington in March 2025. The public integrity unit began investigating him the following month, but he was not placed on leave until November, according to records reviewed by The Dallas Morning News.
The department did not answer repeated questions from The News about why it waited. Castro retired in January and pleaded guilty in March to making a false statement to a police officer about the crash.