When he took the job in 2020, Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia began implementing what he referred to as a Violent Crime Reduction Plan (VCRP), officially implemented in May 2021, yet city streets continue to grapple with crime.
While the Dallas Police claim overall “violent street crime” — a term that includes murders, robbery, and nonfamily violence aggravated assault — was down citywide within the first year of implementation, data shows that overall crime is up, police response times have slowed, and several of those very categories of violent street crime have indeed risen.
As reported by The Dallas Express, data shows two of the three types of violent crime mentioned by DPD saw increases in the City of Dallas when comparing August 2022 to August 2021.
The lone reduction — the number of Homicide Offenses – dipped by just two, while data show the homicide rate has actually increased after jumps in July and August.
Car thefts are up by over 1,300 compared to this time in 2021.
The department admits “there are still challenges ahead” when it comes to some violent crimes, such as the number of homicides, which it said, “is up from the same time in the summer 2021.”
Statistics provided by a representative from the Dallas Police Department in an interview with The Dallas Express reveal that 30% of crime occurs in apartment complexes. This figure is far below the 57% mentioned by the chief in a recent press conference.
Regardless of which statistic proves more accurate, the people who care about crime in the city are the people whose lives are affected by it, often residents in these complexes.
Gabriel Rodriquez, who lives in a South Dallas apartment complex, told The Dallas Express he does not feel safe in his neighborhood.
“At night, you got to keep your eyes open to your surrounds,” said Rodriquez.
“I don’t feel safe around here,” he added.
In South Dallas, crime is high, and shootings are common in the numerous apartment complexes dotting the area.
Of the crimes that take place in Dallas apartment complexes, the most significant crime trends are motor vehicle burglaries, other thefts, and aggravated assaults, according to police.