Police are using "quality of life" crimes such as public intoxication and public urination to target people who commit more serious crimes in downtown Dallas.
Dallas police said 157 "high-impact" offenders are responsible for hundreds of crimes, such as car break-ins and office burglaries.
"We see the same people every day, every other day and definitely every week," Officer Eric Tabbert said. "It’s a revolving door."
To remove them from the streets, officers are arresting people on suspicion of public intoxication and urinating in public.
"It’s an all-inclusive net," Tabbert said. "The situation really is that the same person really is doing both the minor crimes and the serious ones."
Since January, officers have either arrested people or issued citations more than 6,000 times. Of the 157 people listed by police as high-impact offenders, 50 are in jail.
"It’s a good thing," said Cheneice Jones, who works downtown.
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"I think it’s a great idea," said Carolyn Morgan, a Deep Ellum resident. "We’ve gotten it to where it’s a neighborhood again."
But not everyone agrees. Some said the plan unfairly targets the homeless.
"A lot of these guys are homeless, just sitting around drinking a cold brew, not bothering anyone," Gregory Jones said.
But drinking outside is also illegal, police said.
