Despite the best efforts of the Dallas Police Department (DPD), Jesse Moreno’s District 2 continues to stand out as one of the city’s most crime-ridden jurisdictions.
As previously reported in The Dallas Express, Moreno recently earned the dishonor of winning back-to-back Crime Boss of the Month titles. The third-generation District 2 resident earned the title after presiding over several months of year-over-year increases in criminal incidents.
For example, drug offenses clocked a significant uptick in November, according to the City of Dallas Crime Analytics Dashboard, updated through December 19.
Although it is unclear how drug sales in District 2 may correlate to Dallas’ skyrocketing overdose count, Moreno’s district is one of three (Districts 2, 4, and 6) that account for a disproportionate number of the city’s reported drug crimes.
The Dallas Express reached out to Dallas Fire-Rescue (DFR) for some insight into the scale of the crisis, especially in light of the growing prevalence of local fentanyl circulation.
A spokesperson stated that DFR’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Division tracks serious overdoses by logging the number of incidents in which they need to administer Narcan to revive suspected drug users experiencing a medical emergency.
He told The Dallas Express that EMS has seen a significant uptick in the last three years. There were 942 incidents in 2020, 1,238 in 2021 (31% increase over 2020), and 1,925 in 2022 as of December 20 (55% increase over 2021).
The spokesperson added that EMS was working on a city heat map that would log overdose calls and “indicate the frequency in which [DFR is] responding to different areas.” That online dashboard has not yet been finalized or approved for release, as previously noted in The Dallas Express.
Still, drug crimes are not the only category of an offense putting District 2 on the map. The Crime Analytics Dashboard revealed Moreno’s district also clocked the most reported burglaries and thefts in November.
As far as burglaries go, DPD logged 64 reported incidents in District 2 last month, 17 more than in Districts 4 and 6, the two other districts with the biggest share of crimes in this category.
When it came to the total number of thefts in November (excluding motor vehicle theft), only Paul Ridley’s District 14 came close to touching Crime Boss Moreno, with 348 reported incidents. DPD attributed 372 thefts to Moreno’s District 2, most of which were car burglaries.
Along with being a hotspot for Dallas drug and property crimes in November, District 2 also saw nearly 200 robberies and assaults committed against residents and visitors.
DPD shared information with The Dallas Express about some unpublicized violent crimes that occurred in Moreno’s district last month.
Just five hours into November 1, police responded to Baylor University Medical Center after reports of a stabbing.
A wounded man had managed to drive himself a few blocks to the hospital after suffering a severe stab wound outside the Rehabilitation & Wellness Centre of Dallas on Live Oak Street. No information on the suspect could be gleaned, and the investigation is ongoing.
About a week later, on November 9, police got a call about a shooting in the 900 block of North Peak Street at around 3 a.m., just a couple of blocks from the stabbing mentioned above.
When officers arrived, they found a man had been cut in the arm with a machete while allegedly attempting to purchase CBD from the suspect. The male victim was transported to the hospital. An investigation into the matter is ongoing.
Then, on November 20, police were called to 4900 W. Hanover Ave., where a man told them he had been the victim of a robbery. A group of four suspects reportedly held the man at gunpoint and took his money and watch. As of Wednesday, no suspects have been placed in custody.
With Moreno’s reelection bid just five months away, it is unclear whether District 2 voters who are fed up with crime in their communities will be able to oust the freshman council member.
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.