Last week, The Dallas Express released its first “Crime Boss of the Month,” awarding the less-than-prestigious title to Jaynie Schultz of District 11.
Under Councilwoman Schultz, District 11 experienced a 15% increase in The Dallas Express’s calculated per capita Crime Score from October 2020 to October 2021, jumping from 186 to 214 points.
Though Schultz’s campaign website mentions her intent to lower crime to keep families safe, the frequency of crime – even some violent – has gone up.
Of the crimes reported in District 11 this past October, one was a homicide, up from none in 2020. This is the third-highest number of, and the second-greatest increase in, homicides for any district.
Assault offenses, also heavily weighted on the points scale, went up from 29 to 35 occurrences. This amounts to a more than 20% increase in another violent category.
The district’s most significant crime growth was in motor vehicle theft. In October of 2020, there were 112 reports in this category, whereas October 2021 had 157. With 45 more instances in October of this year as opposed to last, occurrences increased by just over 40%.
Motor vehicle theft is an especially unfortunate category of crime to increase so drastically in a city like Dallas.
According to data from American Survey Community regarding cars’ primary use among metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs), more than 80% of Dallas residents use their car to drive alone to and from work.
Of the 15 largest MSAs, Dallas and Houston are tied for second place in the use of cars for commute, ranking behind only Detroit, the metroplex whose nickname is the Motor City.
Therefore, an increase in car theft means an issue regarding these folks’ livelihood, as it affects their ability to commute to and from work.
District 11 also saw an increase of instances of forgery or counterfeiting, from one incident in October of last year to four this past October, swelling by 300%.
Another notable increase in crime for District 11 was nine further instances of larceny or theft offenses. October 2020 saw 187 reports in this category, while October 2021 had 196, an increase of nearly 5%.
Destruction, damage, and vandalism of property also increased by nine incidents, an 18% growth from 50 in October 2020 to 59 the following year.
Other increases in crime in Schultz’s district were:
- Fraud, up 75% from 4 to 7.
- Driving under the influence, up 100% from 3 to 6.
- Hazardous traffic violations, up just over 23% from 13 to 16.
- Property trespassing, up nearly 167% from 3 to 8.
- Stolen property, up 100% from 1 to 2.
Councilwoman Schultz has been criticized before for being soft on crime, especially by Candace Evans, who ran against Schultz for council member last spring.
Evans shared her thoughts on Schultz’s approach to crime in an email to The Dallas Express.
While being interviewed during the race, candidates were asked if they felt crime in District 11 was “more of an illusion” since there was an overall lower crime rate in the district compared to others, Evans told The Dallas Express.
According to Evans, Schultz had wholeheartedly agreed, commenting that the district “had more property crime over murders and ‘serious crimes.’” Evans had disagreed with Schultz’s statement.
“We had eight murders in [District 11] in 2020, one being my neighbor, Leslie Baker, murdered in front of her home in what police called a car-jacking attempt. How can you call shooting a woman an illusion?” Evans wrote.
“Six months into her first term, our district crime rate surpasses last year’s,” Evans added.
Under “Issues” on her campaign website for the 2021 election, Schultz’s statement reads:
“I will work closely with our first responders to ensure they have the tools and training they need to keep families safe and lower crime rates. I will foster cooperation between Dallas Police, DISD, RISD, and our neighborhood associations to build trust and transparent communication to fight crime. And we can do better on the little things. For instance, it’s proven that proper street lighting deters property crime. It’s a simple yet effective tool we can deploy now.”
Dallas’ City Council website does not currently display information about upcoming projects pertaining to lowering crime in Schultz’s district. It is unclear if she has begun work to reduce crime in District 11, whether by replacing the streetlights or otherwise.
District 11’s newsletter mentions a few parks and recreation endeavors, one of which is ironically the further construction of Northaven Trail, where there currently resides a bench plaque in memory of Leslie Baker, the woman killed in District 11 in May.
Dallas Express reached out to Councilwoman Schultz to discuss the crime in her district. Schultz declined to comment.
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.
