Crime ticked up in Downtown Dallas this month, with City data indicating an increase in motor vehicle thefts, car burglaries, assault offenses, and instances of vandalism.
According to the City of Dallas crime analytics dashboard, the Dallas Police Department’s Sector 130 — which comprises Historic Downtown and Victory Park — saw a 20.4% year-over-year spike in auto thefts as of January 26, with reports jumping from 54 to 65. Car burglaries also increased, bumping up from 50 to 55 incidents, marking a 10% hike.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, DPD’s efforts to get crime under control have been hampered by a longstanding staffing shortage at the department. Only around 3,000 officers are currently deployed despite a City report recommending some 4,000 or so are necessary to properly maintain public safety and bring down police response times.
On top of the spikes in auto theft and car burglaries, Dallas’ city center clocked a 14.3% increase in vandalism and destruction or damage to property, with incidents ticking up from 28 to 32. Assault offenses also shot up, leaping from 38 to 49 incidents — a 28.9% increase.
High levels of homelessness and vagrancy have also been a problem in Downtown Dallas.
“[Vagrants] are individuals that end up staying on the street longer, the ones that need addiction support and mental health treatment, the ones stealing to eat. They’re assaulting people to get money. It creates a dynamic where they’re kind of in a fight or flight situation; they’re trying to survive,” Louis Darrouzet, CEO of the Metroplex Civic & Business Association (MCBA), told The Dallas Express in a previous interview.
Roughly 80% of respondents to a poll conducted by The Dallas Express said they were concerned with how much homelessness, vagrancy, and panhandling there is in Dallas.
MCBA publishes a monthly comparative study looking at crime in Downtown Dallas and Fort Worth’s city center. The former regularly outpaces the latter in criminal activity, with motor vehicle thefts, assaults, and drug crimes driving the disparity. Notably, Fort Worth’s downtown area is patrolled by a dedicated police unit and private security officers.
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 New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago.
