City Council Member Paula Blackmon’s District 9 saw one of the steepest year-over-year increases in motor vehicle thefts for the month of February.
As previously reported in The Dallas Express, Blackmon’s district — which mostly runs east of Abrams Road and terminates along Interstate 635 — has been suffering its share of auto thefts in recent months, a crime that has been skyrocketing citywide over the last few years.
Motor vehicle thefts jumped by 40.9% year-over-year last month in District 9, according to the City of Dallas Open Data crime analytics dashboard. Car burglaries also spiked in the district, with 32.4% more incidents reported compared to February 2022.
The Dallas Express was informed by the Dallas Police Department (DPD) about some of these car-related crimes in District 9.
One such incident occurred on February 4 in one of the parking lots at Boy Scout Hill off the north shore of White Rock Lake.
“The preliminary investigation determined that an unknown suspect broke the victim’s car window and took their luggage and wallet,” relayed Senior Corporal Brian Martinez of the Dallas Police Department.
Another car burglary was reported on February 17 at a shopping center off Centerville Road and Garland Road. A thief reportedly targeted a vehicle in the parking lot and “broke the victim’s car door and took work equipment,” according to Martinez.
The day before that, a person’s vehicle was stolen from the parking lot of the Iron Landings apartment complex. Police records indicate that the victim had locked the car and still had the keys.
On February 13, two men met at a hotel in the vicinity of Walnut Hill Lane and Jupiter Road. One of the men allegedly stole the keys out of the other’s backpack.
“A short time later, the suspect took the victim’s Hyundai Genesis and left the location,” Martinez stated.
Property crimes such as these are rampant within Dallas’ city limits. Citywide, car thieves and burglars are keeping on pace with 2022, on track to hit last year’s combined total of 26,151 car thefts and break-ins.
A request for comment was sent to Council Member Blackmon’s office. She was informed of the significant hike in car crimes last month and asked by The Dallas Express what the Dallas City Council is doing to proactively address motor vehicle thefts. Her council assistant, Luke Tinker, referred The Dallas Express to DPD.
The Dallas Express, The People’s Paper, believes that important information about the city, such as crime rates and trends, should be easily accessible to you. Dallas has more crime per capita than hotspots like Chicago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and New York, according to data from the FBI’s UCR database.
How did your area stack up on crime? Check out our interactive Crime Map to compare all Dallas City Council Districts. Curious how we got our numbers? Check out our methodology page here.
For more Dallas crime-related news, see how Downtown Dallas assaults increased under Jesse Moreno.