An average of two vehicles per day have been stolen in three Dallas council districts, crime data shows.
Even though motor vehicle theft appears to be cooling ever so slightly compared to the record-breaking rates seen last year, it remains the most prevalent crime in the city.
According to Dallas’ crime analytics dashboard, as of June 18, there had been 7,354 reports of motor vehicle theft citywide. Districts 2, 6, and 14 lead all others, with over 800 incidents logged so far in 2024. This averages out to over two stolen vehicles a day.
Districts 2 and 14, represented by council members Jesse Moreno and Paul Ridley, respectively, comprise Downtown Dallas. This area has become a hotbed for criminal activity, as well as homelessness and vagrancy.
Moreno, for instance, placed third for this month’s Crime Boss due to a Crime Score increase in May 2024 compared to May 2023. Violent crime increases resulted in Zarin D. Gracey (District 3) being named the ‘winner,’ followed by Chad West (District 1).
In terms of stolen vehicles, 821 had been reported in District 2 as of June 18. District 14 is more or less on pace with these figures, with 825 motor vehicle thefts logged.
Council Member Omar Narvaez’s District 6, the northwestern part of Dallas notorious for its illicit sex trade, recorded 823 stolen vehicles.
The Dallas Police Department has modified its approach to fighting motor vehicle theft in various ways. Police Chief Eddie Garcia pointed out last year that the officer shortage had left a unit of just around 12 facing a mountain of work.
“We’re doing the best we can,” he told CBS News Texas at the time.
Now, the auto theft unit appears to have been reorganized into two squads: the REACT Squad, focused on the unauthorized use of motor vehicles, and the Salvage Squad, dedicated to chop shops and the theft of semi-trucks.
Earlier this year, DPD had also rolled out a new reporting procedure allowing limited-duty officers to fill out the required forms with owners over the phone, considerably speeding up the process given the lengthy in-person police response times.
DPD has only around 3,000 officers in the field, which is considerably short of the 4,000 recommended in a City report on public safety needs. The City approved the department’s budget of $654 million this fiscal year, which is far less taxpayer money directed toward policing than in other high-crime jurisdictions across the country.
DX reached out to council members Moreno, Ridley, and Gracey, but did not receive a response 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. According to data from the FBI’s UCR database, Dallas has more crime per capita than hotspots like Chicago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and New York.
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.
