Though no other district in the City of Dallas came even close to the massive 31.65% crime increase District 3 saw in April, two districts did see double-digit increases, and neither is new to The Dallas Express’ Crime Boss report.
The Dallas Express believes that vital information, such as crime rates and city trends, should be easily accessible to you. According to data from the FBI’s UCR database, Dallas has more crime per capita than hotspots like Chicago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and New York.
The Dallas Express ranks each district in the City of Dallas based on the change in crime within their boundaries compared to the same month the previous year. The Dallas City Council member whose district has the greatest percentage increase (or smallest decrease) in crime is named “Crime Boss of the Month.”
The Dallas Express named City Councilman Casey Thomas II, the representative for Dallas City Council District 3, Crime Boss of the Month for May due to a staggering increase of 31.65% in Crime Score when comparing April 2021 to April 2022. This is Thomas’ second time receiving the title.
Previously, Thomas’ district experienced a 24% increase in February 2022 over February 2021, the highest of any Crime Boss installment up to that point.
Thomas’ office has not responded to recent questions posed by The Dallas Express.
While no Crime Score in any district in the City of Dallas grew by even half as much as District 3 in April, Districts 13 and 4 both saw double-digit percentage increases when comparing crime rates from April 2021 to 2022.
City of Dallas District 13
District 13 in the City of Dallas is led by Councilwoman Gay Donnell Willis. Willis has never been named Crime Boss of the Month, but her district was featured in a special report by The Dallas Express in February focusing on car thefts. Dallas City District 13 saw Vehicle Theft crimes rise from 82 in December 2020 to 124 in 2021, and crime as a whole rose from 462 instances to 506, The Dallas Express reported.
Last month, District 13 registered a Crime Score increase of 14.24% and saw 51 more crimes reported for April in 2022 than in 2021.
It should be no surprise that Motor Vehicle Theft is up in District 13, as the entire City of Dallas continues to see a spike in this category of crime. As of April 2022, there were 56 more instances of car thefts reported in the district compared to April of last year (109, up from 53).
While the category of car thefts saw District 13’s most significant increase, Larceny calls were also up, rising to 174 in 2022 over the 136 instances reported in 2021.
Though no other crime reports saw double-digit increases, several saw reports grow by single digits. Burglary/Breaking & Entering increased by nine reports; Nonviolent Family Offenses were up three; and Robbery, Driving Under the Influence, Trespass of Real Property, and Non-Hazardous Traffic Violations each saw an increase of one.
Gay’s office was contacted and asked to address the increases, but The Dallas Express had not received a response as of press time.
City of Dallas District 4
District 4 in the City of Dallas saw the third highest crime rate increase when comparing data from April 2021 and 2022 at 11.94%, with a further 79 crimes reported in April of this year (672 total, up from 593 in April of 2021).
City of Dallas District 4 is led by Carolyn King Arnold, who is no stranger to The Dallas Express’ Crime Boss of the Month installments. She earned the moniker last December when the area saw a growth in Crime Score of 14%. District 4’s Crime Score shows a nearly-12% increase was still the third-highest in the City of Dallas for April.
The crime that saw the most significant increase in April’s data is Larceny/Theft Offenses, up from 122 to 198 in 2022. The other crime categories whose reports increased by double digits were Motor Vehicle Theft (from 128 to 152); Destruction/Damage/Vandalism of Property (from 59 to 76); and Drug/Narcotic Violations (from 54 to 64).
Other crime increases occurred in the categories of Assault Offenses, which were up six, and Non-Hazardous Traffic Violations, up by one.
King’s office was contacted and asked to address the increases, but The Dallas Express did not receive a response by press time.
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.