Auto thefts and car burglaries are increasing in northern Dallas, with Council Member Gay Donnell Willis’ District 13 logging serious jumps in September.
District 13 is situated northwest of Park Cities and south of I-635. It includes the Preston Hollow and Russwood Acres neighborhoods.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Council Member Zarin Gracey was named Crime Boss of the Month for the 59.9% Crime Score increase District 3 saw in September. However, his was not the only council district to see such a significant spike in Crime Score. Willis’ District 13 clocked a 44.7% year-over-year jump last month.
There were 150 motor vehicle thefts reported, a 177.8% increase over the 54 logged in September 2022. Car burglaries also ticked up, jumping by 8.3% from 84 to 91, according to the City of Dallas crime overview dashboard.
DPD has been understaffed for some years, with the department fielding fewer than 3,200 officers. A City analysis previously advised that some 4,000 are needed to properly maintain public safety in a municipality the size of Dallas.
Downtown Dallas sees many of the city’s auto thefts, logging significantly higher rates than Fort Worth’s downtown area. While both cities’ police departments have been struggling with officer shortages lately, Fort Worth has a specialized police unit monitoring its city center alongside private security guards.
Willis’ district also saw hikes in reported vandalism and aggravated assault offenses. Vandalism spiked by 24.2%, increasing from 33 incidents to 41. Aggravated assaults jumped by 84.6%, increasing from 13 to 24.
A request for comment was sent to Council Member Willis’ office, but no reply was received by press time.
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.