Jesse Moreno, City of Dallas District 2 councilman, and his constituents saw crime rise last September, but that news is unfortunately hardly a surprise: when comparing crime statistics year-over-year, the district has only seen a crime decrease in one month of 2022.
Although September’s numbers are not as extreme as some previous Crime Score increases in District 2 — the highest coming in May at 17.43% — the increase last month of 5.94% reflects 66 more crimes reported in the region than in September of 2021.
District 2 includes the area of Deep Ellum, which hosts many arts and entertainment venues.
Following the shooting death of a 20-year-old man in September, the fourth murder in Deep Ellum this year, Dallas officials announced plans to establish a new unit explicitly dedicated to the neighborhood in response to the high crime rate.
Moreno said he supports the move, but it is unclear when the unit will begin patrolling or how large the team will be.
“My hope is that we should’ve started this yesterday, but it takes planning and cooperation,” Moreno said, The Dallas Express reported.
The dedicated police patrol is part of a 14-part safety plan developed by the police and Deep Ellum neighborhood association over the past year.
Among the plan’s components is the installation of security cameras. The neighborhood has 25 cameras, and 35 more are to be installed by year’s end, all of which are to be monitored by a public safety officer in a nearby office.
The plan also establishes a transportation and ride-share pick-up area, a minor curfew, street closures, and a “no-cruising” ordinance.
Moreno says the plan is “working” to reduce violent crime and added that neighborhood crime is decreasing, but D2’s Crime Scores last month state otherwise.
A total of 1,214 crimes were recorded in D2 during September 2022, compared to September 2021, when 1,148 crimes were reported. Of the 30 crime categories, D2 saw increases in 11.
Double-digit crime increases in D2 occurred in the following categories:
| Category | 2022 Reports | 2021 Reports | Increase |
| Motor Vehicle Theft | 312 | 265 | 47 |
| Larceny/Theft Offenses | 377 | 342 | 35 |
| Drug/Narcotic Violations | 91 | 70 | 21 |
| Destruction/Vandalism of Property | 106 | 88 | 18 |
| Robbery | 34 | 20 | 14 |
Though only one of these categories, Robbery, is officially considered “violent crime” in the FBI’s UCR database, many of the types of crime listed here often involve an element of violence.
Of particular note is a category that saw just one additional report in September 2022, but certainly draws concern — Kidnapping/Abduction.
Single-digit crime increases occurred in:
- Disorderly Conduct: up from five to eight.
- Weapon Law Violations: up from 18 to 22.
- Nonviolent Family Offenses: up from three to five.
- Animal Offenses: up from zero to two.
- Gambling Offenses: up from zero to one.
- Kidnapping/Abduction: up from zero to one.
The Dallas Express has reached out to Moreno and his office many times for the Crime Boss of the Month series but rarely does the councilman or his office respond. Moreno was contacted again for this installment of CBOM, but no response was submitted 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.