Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson and Police Chief Eddie Garcia applauded the City’s progress in combating violent crime during a recent interview, yet both say there is more work to be done — namely getting county leaders’ support.
“This will be the third consecutive year of overall violent crime falling in the City of Dallas, which is incredible,” Johnson said in an interview with CBS News Texas alongside Chief Garcia.
“When we talk about where we are as a City, we’re definitely moving in the right direction,” said Garcia.
While City leaders laud three years of violent crime falling overall, murders are on the rise. This year, there have been 239 murders — 14% more than last year. Both Johnson and Garcia spoke on the case of Byron Carrillo, who allegedly shot and killed his ex-girlfriend, their 1-year-old son, and two of her family members.
Carrillo was previously charged with assault and was released from custody with an ankle monitor two weeks before the murders.
“I didn’t see any uproar anywhere. We had an uproar. We were texting each other, going nuts about it. We certainly had uproar,” said Garcia. “But where is the uproar [when] an individual [who has] on an ankle monitor [is] living next door to the victims who he’s on an ankle monitor for… and then murders them?”
Johnson added that he does not want alleged offenders to be released “on some form of supervision for a very violent offense [for which] they should be in jail” so they can commit further crimes.
“That’s what we need,” Johnson continued. “We need the very dangerous criminals to be arrested and to be in jail, not roaming our streets. That’s what we need.”
Garcia said violent criminals being released on an ankle monitor within weeks of being charged is an ongoing problem in Dallas.
“My frustration, as I’m sure you followed for the time I’ve been here, has been with irresponsible decisions made from the bench by some, not all, that, in the name of social justice, do not keep our community safe,” said Garcia.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, both Johnson and Garcia have spoken previously about how the justice system must step up and prosecute violent criminals rather than letting them back onto the street.
Johnson asserted that the City cannot continue to reduce violent crime on its own and must have support from local judges and District Attorney John Creuzot.
Creuzot has previously faced accusations of being soft on crime. Both Creuzot and the Dallas County bail system have been subject to extensive criticism for seemingly enabling violent criminals to continue committing crimes by allowing them to bond out of jail.
Chief Garcia said Dallas needs more support from the state legislature, but Johnson held that focusing on the Dallas County justice system is the first priority.
“What would assist law enforcement agencies here in the state of Texas … would be for the ability of judges to be able to give no bail for certain crimes [based on] what the crime is and taking the history of an individual into account,” Garcia explained.
However, Johnson asserted, “We don’t need to be looking to Austin to figure out what goes on in a Dallas County courtroom.”
“Just the judges and the DAs,” he said. “… [W]e need to get that right, and we’re not getting it right too often.”
Garcia also highlighted his pride in the sworn officers of the Dallas Police Department, who are working to combat crime even as the force continues to suffer from a staffing shortage. The DPD currently has little more than 3,000 officers despite a City report calling for closer to 4,000.