Black and Hispanic women and girls comprise the majority of kidnapping victims logged in Dallas so far this year, continuing a trend that manifested in City data in 2023.
According to the City of Dallas victim demographics dashboard, there have been 63 kidnappings reported as of May 17. Of the total, some 49.2% were Hispanic, and 28.6% were black. Across racial categories, 82.5% were female.
Two out of the 14 Dallas City Council districts stand out in terms of the number of offenses cataloged, with Council Member Omar Narvaez’s District 6 clocking 11 incidents and Council Member Adam Bazaldua’s District 7 recording nine. The council district with the third-highest number of reports was Council Member Kathy Stewart’s District 10, with six incidents.
When isolating for sex, the racial makeup of the cohort of victims is similar, with Hispanic or Latina victims constituting 48.1% and black victims comprising 30.8%.
The youngest female kidnapping victim this year was a 13-year-old, and the oldest was 47.
The Dallas Police Department has been struggling for years now with a significant staffing shortage. The department only has about 3,000 officers deployed in the field, despite a City analysis recommending that roughly 4,000 are necessary to properly maintain public safety and get police response times down.
Budgeting only $654 million for DPD this year, Dallas City Council members chose to spend less taxpayer money on public safety than other high-crime jurisdictions like Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City.
Last year, 141 women and girls were kidnapped in Dallas proper. Just under 49% were Hispanic, and 34.8% were black. The youngest victim was three years old, and the oldest was 61.