Members of the Dallas Citizens Council leadership appear to be keeping tight-lipped about the reality of crime in Downtown Dallas, joining the city’s former mayors in seemingly denying the dangers faced by residents and visitors.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, crime in Downtown Dallas has steadily been on the rise over the last few years, with 3,102 crimes committed in 2020, 3,863 in 2021, 4,312 in 2022, and 4,698 in 2023. DX presented these facts to several former Dallas mayors but was met with silence.
Requests for comment were also sent to Dallas Citizens Council (DCC) chair Arcilia Acosta, chair-elect John A. Gates, former chair Rob C. Walters, and CEO W. Kelvin Walker, but none of them replied.
“Dallas Citizens Council is comprised of the area’s CEOs and top business leaders who provide guidance on the policy issues that will move Dallas forward and serve in the moments that matter the most for the city. … Dallas Citizens Council aims to foster an environment where economic growth and prosperity extend to all residents of the Dallas area. To achieve this future, we are focused on impacting the critical public policy areas of education, mobility, housing, as well as other areas essential to improving quality of life,” the organization’s website reads.
The seeming unwillingness of City leaders to acknowledge Downtown Dallas’ crime problem comes on the heels of City Manager T.C. Broadnax’s announcement that he will resign after seven years at the helm. His tenure saw taxes, municipal spending, and crime rise while City staff struggled to deliver essential services, as previously reported by DX.
Metroplex Civic & Business Association CEO Louis Darrouzet spoke with DX on Tuesday about the crime situation in the city center, which he said poses an impediment to growth.
“If that isn’t changed as the population density gets higher, it will become a bigger problem,” he said.
When asked if the first step in addressing the issue is acknowledging the reality of crime in the neighborhood, Darrouzet answered in the affirmative.
“My friend, a year and a half ago — she’s performed on Britain’s Got Talent, an incredible performer –, she was flown in to perform at the Mavericks halftime show. She walks to get a water down the street before the game, and she is assaulted by a woman walking into the 7-Eleven downtown,” Darrouzet said. “[The woman] grabs her arm, slams the door on her arm multiple times, and threatens to kill her. She’s trying to steal her glasses. That is now my friend’s perspective of what happens in the city of Dallas, and she performs all over the world.”
Budgeting only $654 million for the department this year, the Dallas City Council voted to spend much less taxpayer money on law enforcement than other high-crime jurisdictions, like Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City. With only around 3,000 officers in the field, DPD is well short of the roughly 4,000 recommended by a prior City analysis.
