Despite a slight dip in crime reports in the City of Dallas when comparing July 2022 to July 2021, Motor Vehicle Theft was not among the reductions. This problem has persisted throughout the year, and it showed no signs of stopping this summer: 175 more cars were stolen in the second month of summer this year than last year — an average of 5.64 more per day.
In June, car thefts grew from 2,166 to 2,341, an 8.07% increase. These numbers follow an uptick in that crime category in June (127 more, up from 1,978 to 2,105.) Time will tell whether Motor Vehicle Thefts will climb in the last month of summer 2022, though it seems likely based on the category’s past trajectory.
The Dallas Express reached out to Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson and his office, asking if anything new had been added to the list of techniques to curb the car theft climb, but at the time of press, no comments had been submitted.
Last February, District 1 Councilman Chad West’s office told The Dallas Express that vehicle theft had increased across the entire city.
The Dallas Police Department attempts to curb the trend: When bait cars are available, the Southwest Patrol Division uses them to attract, arrest, and interrogate suspects in Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle (UUMV) crimes.
West was named Crime Boss of the Month (CBOM) again in August, marking the fifth time he and District 1 have earned the dubious title since this feature’s inception in December ’21.
The Dallas Police Department conducted an e-Tag operation during January of this year in the southern part of the division to target UUMVs and were conducting similar operations throughout District 1 as the year wore on, reported The Dallas Express.
City of Dallas District 6 had the most car thefts for July 2021, clocking in at a total of 302. District 6 is led by Councilman Omar Narvaez. The Dallas Express reached out to Narvaez to see what was being done in his district to slow the car theft increases, but no comments were submitted by the time of press.
Motor Vehicle Thefts in July 2022 by district, ranked highest to lowest, are as follows:
- D6 – 302
- D2 – 277
- D7 – 257
- D14 – 252
- D1 – 202
- D3 – 189
- D8 – 160
- D13 – 142
- D11 – 137
- D4 – 127
- D5 – 88
- D9 – 86
- D10 – 66
- D12 – 52
The Dallas Express, The People’s Paper, believes that important information about the city, such as crime rates and trends, should be easily accessible to you.
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.