The Friends of the Katy Trail (FKT), a nonprofit organization that maintains and operates the 3.5-mile public trail running through uptown Dallas, issued a recent warning via social media for Katy trail users.
“Advisory: There have been reports along the Katy Trail of females being harassed,” the Instagram story read. “The Dallas Police Department has a person of interest in these cases and has extra officers stationed on the Trail.”
“Please be extra aware of your surroundings, walk with a buddy if possible, and as always, call 911 if you feel unsafe. There are mile marker signs along the Trail that can be used to identify your trail location.”
The Dallas Police Department confirmed via email that several women had reported being sexually assaulted and harassed along the Katy Trail.
“The Dallas Police Department is aware of these reports and is investigating, along with monitoring trail systems,” Public Information Officer Brian Martinez told The Dallas Express.
The Dallas Express reached out to DPD for additional details regarding the number of extra officers patrolling the Katy Trail and other preventive measures the police are taking but received no response by the time of publication.
One trail user, who identified herself as Britton, reportedly told FOX 4 that she was walking along the trail when a man approached her from behind, reached under her skirt, and grabbed her. She said she was able to fight the man off.
After she filed a police report, Britton became aware of similar incidents on the Katy Trail that women had written about on social media. She encouraged other women who experienced an incident like this on the Katy Trail to come forward and file a police report.
Another young woman who did not wish to be identified told news outlet WFAA that she was on the Katy Trail recently when a man grabbed her from behind and put his hand “where it really shouldn’t be.”
“It is a scary feeling,” the woman said, per WFAA. “Just knowing there are men out there who feel entitled to … violate women … and touch women as they please.”
While Dallas police have sent additional officers to Katy Trail, DPD continues to face a shortage of officers, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
In a recent interview with The Dallas Express, DPD Chief Eddie Garcia suggested that the department would require hundreds more officers to meet the city’s public safety needs. The City currently employs roughly 3,100 officers.
News of the sexual harassment along Katy Trail comes amid some uncertainty regarding crime rates in Dallas. Due to the alleged ransomware attack, publicly available crime data has not been updated since May 1, when the City logged 46 reports of nonfamily fondling year to date, a roughly 12% increase year over year.
