DALLAS — City officials and nonprofit partners have launched a new public safety initiative called “Safe in the City,” aimed at restoring order in downtown Dallas through increased police deployment, enforcement of anti-camping laws, and coordination with homelessness response agencies.
The campaign includes a significant increase in law enforcement presence — boosting downtown patrols to 130 officers, the highest level in over a decade — and establishing a new command center within the Central Business District.
Officials also say the initiative will include expanded private security and real-time coordination among Dallas Police, city staff, Housing Forward, and Downtown Dallas Inc. (DDI) to address quality-of-life issues and remove illegal encampments.
The rollout follows years of deteriorating conditions in downtown Dallas and months of public pressure from residents, business leaders, and The Dallas Express, which has reported extensively on the area’s rise in crime, business flight, and lax enforcement of local and state laws.
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Bennett’s Early Warning Now Becomes City Policy
In March 2024, The Dallas Morning News published a feature that quoted The Dallas Express publisher Monty Bennett sounding the alarm on downtown conditions — warnings that were met at the time with skepticism and even ridicule from city establishment politicians and their partners in the local legacy media.
“We need to improve what’s going on downtown,” Bennett said. “I do believe our city is in a transition period. I think the past few years have been tough. We have an opportunity … to take our place among the greatest cities in the country or the world. Or, at this inflection point, it could very well descend into what other American cities have become, unfortunately.”
Former Dallas Mayor Laura Miller publicly mocked Bennett for speaking out, saying,
“It was pretty obvious to me that Mr. Bennett hasn’t been downtown in a long time, maybe ever, until today.”
Jennifer Scripps, president of Downtown Dallas Inc., also dismissed Bennett’s concerns at the time, stating:
“When it comes to public safety in downtown, DDI relies on data. The data shows that violent crime is low and getting lower.”
Since then, city officials have adopted nearly every measure Bennett advocated, including increased police staffing, enforcement of public camping laws, and expanded private security patrols.
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Crime Data Discrepancies Remain
Despite claims from DDI earlier this year, Dallas Police Department data shows that overall crime in the sector encompassing downtown rose by 34% from 2020 to 2023.
Additionally, a report commissioned by DDI from the Boston Consulting Group found that violent crime in downtown increased 42% from 2019 to 2023 — directly contradicting Scripps’ previous statements.
Officials have yet to reconcile these conflicting numbers, and BCG has declined public comment, citing client confidentiality.
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Citizen-Led Reform Ignored
The “Safe in the City” campaign also excludes the grassroots organization that forced many of these reforms into motion: Dallas HERO. The group led the successful 2024 ballot effort that resulted in the passage of Propositions S and U — charter amendments requiring the city to:
- Allows residents to hold the City of Dallas accountable if it fails to follow its own charter, ordinances, or state law by removing the city’s governmental immunity.
- Maintain a minimum of 4,000 police officers and allocate at least 50% of new annual revenue to increasing police staffing, salaries, and funding the police and fire pension system.
Although the propositions passed with public support, Dallas Express has confirmed that Dallas HERO was not invited to participate in the city’s new downtown safety initiative.
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Next Steps and Accountability
While officials claim this initiative marks a new era for public safety in downtown Dallas, questions remain about funding, long-term deployment strategies, and whether police coverage in other neighborhoods will be reduced to support the city’s economic core.
The Dallas Express will continue monitoring:
- Whether the promised officer increase is actually achieved and sustained
- Whether the city enforces the laws passed by voters last November
- Whether crime and disorder in downtown decline as promised — or are merely relocated
- Whether public data is reported transparently and without manipulation
What is now being celebrated as proactive leadership began with public pressure, public reporting, and public votes. Without those, the city’s shift in strategy may never have come.
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