Crime data seems to show that several Dallas City Council districts are more dangerous for blacks and Hispanics than others, with five council districts logging more than 400 assaults against such individuals each.
According to the City of Dallas victim demographics dashboard, as of March 29, 45.3% of assault victims this year have been black, and 36.2% have been Hispanic. Between simple assaults, aggravated assaults, and cases of intimidation, there have been 4,620 offenses clocked in 2024 with a black or Hispanic victim.
Council Member Adam Bazaldua’s District 7 has had the most assaults committed against black and Hispanic people, with 607 incidents on the books. The council district with the second-highest number of such assaults is District 8, which is represented by Council Member Tennell Atkins, with 515 offenses.
Three other council districts logged more than 400 such incidents: Council Member Carolyn King Arnold’s District 4 at 466, Council Member Omar Narvaez’s District 6 at 445, and Council Member Jesse Moreno’s District 2 at 438.
The median age of such victims has been 32, and the majority are logged as female. The youngest victim was less than a year old, and the oldest was 79.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, black and Hispanic individuals made up the overwhelming majority of assault victims in 2023 amid a serious officer shortage at the Dallas Police Department.
DPD only has around 3,000 officers in the field at present, in spite of a previous City analysis that calls for approximately 4,000 to maintain public safety and reduce police response times. Downtown Dallas has been especially affected by the shortage, with the neighborhood logging significantly more criminal activity than Fort Worth’s city center, which is patrolled by a dedicated neighborhood police unit and private security guards.
Budgeting only $654 million for the department this year, the Dallas City Council chose to spend considerably less taxpayer money on law enforcement than other high-crime jurisdictions, like Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City.