Kidnappings in Dallas are on the rise, with black and Hispanic individuals being disproportionately affected.
According to data from the City’s crime analytics dashboard, as of July 21, 114 kidnappings or abductions had been reported this year. Last year, 99 such incidents had been logged, marking a 15.2% citywide increase.
Districts 6 and 7 have clocked the highest number of abductions, 17 and 16, respectively. Relatedly, District 6 Council Member Omar Narvaez was named The Dallas Express‘ second-runner-up for this month’s Crime Boss feature.
Tucked in the northwestern part of the city, District 6 is known for being ground zero in Dallas when it comes to the illicit sex trade. Kidnapping victims in the district have been almost all female — 15 out of 17 victims — and either Hispanic or black — 16 out of 17 victims. Their ages ranged from 17 to 58 years old. Of the 17 abduction cases, nine were considered family violence crimes.
District 7 Council Member Adam Bazaldua was recently highlighted for his jurisdiction’s logging the most “crimes against person” committed against black and Hispanic individuals this year out of any of the 14 council districts.
This trend extended into kidnapping and abduction cases, with 13 of the 16 victims in the district being either black or Hispanic. The victims ranged from 6 to 47 years old and were predominately female, with only two being male. Only five out of the 16 cases were not considered family violence crimes.
Both districts have beaten their kidnapping-abduction rates year over year, with District 6 seeing a 6.3% increase and District 7 a staggering 300% hike year to date (there were only four during the same period in 2023).
Although the Dallas Police Department has aimed at reducing violent crime rates in the city, it has been laboring against a significant staffing shortage. Only around 3,000 DPD officers are fielded despite a City report calling for closer to 4,000 to adequately ensure public safety.
Moreover, DPD received far less taxpayer money than the police agencies of other high-crime cities, with City leaders approving a budget of just $654 million this fiscal year.
The Dallas Express, The People’s Paper, believes that important information about the city, such as crime rates and trends, should be easily accessible to you. Dallas has more crime per capita than hotspots like Chicago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and New York, according to data from the FBI’s UCR database.
How did your area stack up on crime? Check out our interactive Crime Map to compare all Dallas City Council Districts. Curious how we got our numbers? Check out our methodology page here.