Motor vehicle thefts increased year over year last month, and four city council districts, in particular, stand out for their significant double-digit spikes in that offense category.
Citywide there were 1,352 auto thefts logged by the Dallas Police Department (DPD) in April, a 28.6% increase over the 1,051 incidents recorded the same month last year, according to the City of Dallas Open Data crime analytics dashboard.
In terms of documented incidents, Council Member Narvaez’s northwestern District 6 had the most reported offenses committed that month, clocking 166 — an increase of 22.1% over last year.
Council Member Jesse Moreno’s District 2, which includes parts of downtown, saw a 10.8% year-over-year increase, with reported incidents jumping from 148 to 164.
Districts 7 and 14, represented by Council Members Adam Bazaldua and Paul Ridley, respectively, saw the most significant year-over-year increases in motor vehicle thefts in April, according to City data. Both districts include swaths of the downtown area.
Bazaldua’s district clocked a 46.7% hike, with incidents increasing from 90 to 132. Meanwhile, in District 14, reported incidents increased by 36.8%, with the Dallas Police Department logging 156 incidents, significantly more than the 114 reported last year.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Dallas’ downtown area has been suffering from considerably higher crime rates than downtown Fort Worth — as much as nine times higher, by some estimates.
“While I knew it was worse, I am still shocked at how bad it has gotten,” said Louis Darrouzet, CEO of the Metroplex Civic and Business Association, in an earlier interview with The Dallas Express.
“This is a trend that must improve if we want to position Dallas to be a safe place to conduct business,” Darrouzet said.
A request for comment was sent to the four council members, but no response was received by press time.
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.
