Residents who live near Katy Trail are joining joggers and bikers who have raised concerns about crime and security.
As The Dallas Express previously reported, residents have expressed concern with lighting and policing on the Katy Trail after several police reports detailing sexual assault were filed. According to the complaints, multiple women have been groped by unknown assailants while exercising on the Katy Trail.
Friends of the Katy Trail, a nonprofit responsible for its administration, issued an advisory warning on social media to warn potential joggers.
“Advisory: There have been reports along the Katy Trail of females being harassed. The Dallas Police Department has a person of interest in these cases and has extra officers stationed on the Trail.”
The news took social media by storm, with thousands of comments from concerned citizens on an Instagram post sharing the disturbing incidents.
“I did not see a single officer on the trail for six miles today,” commented a Dallas resident with the username Jennnzoxo. “Not getting the ‘we’re taking care of it’ vibes.”
Complicating police response, the Dallas Police Department is facing a severe staffing shortage, lacking as many as 500 officers, according to Mike Mata, president of the Dallas Police Association.
The Dallas Express spoke to Aisha Sheikh, as her home backs up against the Katy Trail in Uptown.
“Usually the lights go off at 12 [a.m.], but these lights have been going off when the sun goes down. It’s pitch black. … With all the crime that’s going on, you would think they would light it up more,” Sheikh said.
She expressed frustration with the City of Dallas’ approach to crime in general, stating that Friends of the Katy Trail or the City needs to step up to make it safer.
“Just now when I was walking, I had to flash my light at a guy who was walking [by]. I mean, it is scary. I am worried about it. There should be no reason [the lights are off], and if there is, they should post it,” Sheikh concluded.
The City of Dallas is piloting a safety system to improve security along Katy Trail. The plan includes trail markers designed to direct first responders in the event of an emergency. Signposts with location identifiers are planned for every eighth of a mile along the path so that joggers will never be removed from a safety marker they can use to communicate their location to emergency services.
If the plan is successful, the City plans on expanding the program to the rest of the City’s trails.
