The city of Dallas recorded 210 homicides in 2019. As attention is focused on high crime numbers in Dallas last year, police Chief Renee Hall pointed out other numbers to highlight the department's work.
"Last year, the officers made over 7,500 arrests,” Hall said. “They took about 2,800 guns off the street, about 8000 pounds of narcotics."
But a rise in violent crime is taking center stage. Hall has put forth an initiative to fight it, which includes more police presence in known high-crime areas.
"Right now we know our presence needs to be more,” Hall said. “So we are aggressively in Pleasant Grove and in Oak Cliff from a law enforcement perspective. We are going after the people who are known offenders."
Dallas police will also use electronic surveillance in their fight.
"Technology is going to help us,” Hall said. “As we are able to leverage our technology and put cameras all around this city, that is going to help us be able to see that criminal element. And no criminal wants to be caught on camera."
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson and some city council members called Hall's plan to reduce violent crime by 5% too low.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
Hall said her goal is realistic.
"This is not about selling a pipe dream,” Hall said. “I could say we are going to reduce crime by 50%, but the truth of the matter is, never in the history of Dallas have we reduced violent crime by 50% in one year."
Hall said police can't achieve their goal alone. She said residents must play a part in reducing crime by speaking up.
"You know who those individuals are, where they live and we are relying on you to give us that information,” Hall said. “Then we can go and make your area safe by taking those individuals into custody."
Hall said 5% is their goal, but they do hope to go above and beyond that number.
