The Dallas Express learned a little more about some of the crimes reported in Council Member Chad West’s District 1 last month.
As previously reported by DX, West was named April Crime Boss of the Month for the 28.4% year-over-year Crime Score increase he logged for the criminal activity in District 1 last month. The council member also earned the moniker in January and February of this year.
DX reached out to the Dallas Police Department and inquired about some of the crimes that were reported in District 1 in March.
On the first day of the month, there was what appears to be a jugging incident in which an individual was “beat up” and robbed of $400 by an ATM, according to City crime incident data.
“At about 2:00 p.m., a male suspect robbed and assaulted a man in the 1100 block of N. Zang Boulevard. This investigation is ongoing,” a DPD public information officer informed DX.
Just over a week later, police responded to a robbery call in the 2600 block of Fort Worth Avenue, where a suspect assaulted an individual and took their vehicle.
“The victim was transported to a local hospital for further medical treatment,” the public information officer relayed.
There was another robbery in District 1 in the early morning hours of March 20.
“Officers responded to a call for service in the 800 block of W Jefferson Blvd. The preliminary investigation determined an unknown suspect pointed a gun at the victim and demanded property,” the public information officer said. “The suspect took the victim’s property and left the scene.”
DX asked DPD if there were any identified suspects or arrests associated with the incidents described above, but the department did not directly respond to those questions.
DPD has been understaffed for years, fielding only around 3,000 officers at present, far less than the 4,000 advised by a previous City analysis. Budgeting only $654 million this fiscal year for the department, City officials opted to spend less on public safety than other high-crime cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City.
District 1 is located between I-30 and Illinois Avenue and includes neighborhoods east of Cockrell Hill and west of I-35, sitting just southwest of Downtown Dallas, which consistently logs significantly more crime than Fort Worth’s downtown area. The latter’s city center is patrolled by a special police unit and private security guards.
DX reached out to Council Member West on Monday for comment regarding the public safety situation in his council district but did not receive a response.
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.