Dallas authorities have launched a new online dashboard that tracks domestic violence in the city.
October is domestic violence awareness month, and city leaders aim to demonstrate that it is a crime that affects many people — both men and women — and often goes unnoticed.
The dashboard is interactive and provides data on various aspects. Some focus on the demographics of the victim of domestic violence, including age, race/ethnicity, and gender.
Others look at the number of crimes by month, map crimes by city district, or type of crime — ranging from simple assault to murder and non-negligent manslaughter.
According to the new dashboard, 73% of victims of domestic violence are female and 27% are male.
It also shows that in District 13 — represented by The Dallas Express‘ October Crime Boss of the Month Gay Donnell Willis — 71% of domestic violence victims are women and 29% are men.
So far, Dallas is tied with Houston for the number of intimate partner homicides this year, with 12 deaths. The city saw a total of 17 deaths in 2021 and 16 deaths in 2020.
Data for the City of Dallas’ dashboard was provided in large part by two of the region’s largest domestic violence shelters, the Genesis Women’s Shelter and Support and The Family Place.
The Office of the Dallas County District Attorney and the Dallas police helped to pull together the remainder.
The dashboard also features two other tabs at the top of the page. One provides data from the district attorney’s office, such as the outcomes and types of cases.
The other gives information about the shelters, including the shelter occupancy rates and the numbers of calls and texts received from victims seeking help.
“I think this data will be surprising to some,” said Jan Langbein, CEO of the Genesis Women’s Shelter and Support, speaking to NBC 5. “I hope it is a message to survivors that there is help and there is hope.”
The dashboard will also be able to help non-profit organizations to know how and where to implement more resources.
City officials say that it will be regularly updated and that the link also has hotline numbers and victim resources for anyone who needs help.
To reach the Genesis Shelter, call or text 214-946-HELP (4357). To contact The Family Place, dial 214-941-1991 for the 24-hour crisis hotline.
