The Dallas Police Department will partner with two local universities beginning in Fall 2026 to expand its Violent Crime Reduction Plan, shifting a key research component back to institutions within the city.
Under the new arrangement, the University of Texas at Dallas will take the lead on analyzing crime hotspots and delivering recommendations to DPD Command Staff and City leadership, the department announced.
The University of North Texas at Dallas will convert those findings into tailored training courses for DPD personnel.
The Violent Crime Reduction Plan has been in place since 2021 and has relied on data analysis from criminologists and researchers at the University of Texas at San Antonio. The department said the plan has produced year-over-year reductions in violent crime through data-driven strategies.
UTD researchers will continue using a grid system that divides the city into roughly 330-square-foot zones, allowing analysts to track and review hotspot locations in detail.
UNT Dallas will use UTD’s research to build DPD-specific courses for both sworn officers and professional staff. According to the department, the training will be designed for employees at different career stages, including rank and file, front-line supervisors, and members of the command staff, as well as for different job functions.
“Bringing this partnership home to Dallas reflects the strong collaboration between DPD and our community,” said Chief of Police Daniel C. Comeaux. “Our Violent Crime Reduction Plan has made incredible progress through identifying the limited number of locations which experience the most violent crime and implementing new methods for preventing crime.”
“UTD is going to be a key strategic partner in continuing to drive down violent crime, enhance public safety, and make Dallas the safest big city. We have a great relationship with UNT Dallas in the development of the new Law Enforcement Training Center, and I’m looking forward to seeing our team members receiving training based off UTD’s thorough research,” he added.
The department said the collaboration is expected to launch in Fall 2026.
