Downtown Dallas Inc. (DDI) CEO Jennifer Scripps has presided over a catastrophic public safety collapse in the city’s core—one detailed in her own commissioned report.
The study, conducted by Boston Consulting Group and released in early 2025, shows a stunning 42% spike in violent crime in Downtown Dallas from 2019 to 2023, compared to a 14% decrease citywide, raising widespread questions about the priorities Scripps’ tenure.
Rather than acknowledge the growing crisis, Scripps misled the public, claiming in March 2024 that “violent crime is low and getting lower” — a statement now flatly contradicted by DDI’s own findings.
Downtown’s land and building owners appear caught in the middle – their dollars go towards maintaining the Public Improvement District – as economic fallout has been swift. The departure from downtown of Bank of America, Fisher Phillips, Greenberg Traurig have raised alarms.
Yet, reports suggest that Scripps continues to downplay the disaster, focusing instead of lashing out at legislative reforms designed to increase accountability for how Public Improvement District dollars are spent. Critics allege that her opposition to SB 2594 is riddled with false claims, all debunked by the bill’s text.
