The number of hate crimes being committed in the United States has reportedly increased since the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas, however, that trend does not appear to be manifesting in Dallas, at least according to City data.
As of November 24, there have been 38 alleged hate crimes within the city limits so far this year, a dip from the 41 logged during the same period in 2022, according to the City of Dallas crime overview dashboard.
The dashboard indicates that 30 of the offenses were crimes against persons, while the remaining eight were property crimes. The crimes against persons were classified as assault offenses. Some 14 were logged as cases of intimidation, 10 were recorded as simple assaults, and six were aggravated assaults.
In terms of the alleged motives behind the 38 reported hate crimes, the crime overview dashboard shows that seven were documented as “ANTI HISPANIC,” seven were “ANTI JEWISH,” six were “ANTI HOMOSEXUAL,” six were “ANTI TRANSGENDER,” four were “ANTI MALE HOMOSEXUAL,” two were “ANTI ASIAN,” two were “ANTI BLACK,” one was “ANTI ARAB,” one was “ANTI ISLAMIC,” one was “ANTI MULTI-RACIAL,” and one was “ANTI OTHER ETHNICITY.”
The 38 hate crime offenses comprise roughly 0.04% of the 98,681 reported crimes logged by the City in 2023. While some categories of violent crime are down, rampant auto thefts and a high murder rate have kept Dallas on pace with last year in terms of overall crime.
The Dallas Police Department has been enduring a longstanding police shortage. As a previous analysis from the City advised, Dallas needs a force of approximately 4,000 officers to adequately maintain public safety. However, DPD currently fields only around 3,200.
The effects of the staffing shortage have been felt in Downtown Dallas. The neighborhood logs significantly more criminal activity than Fort Worth’s downtown area, which is reportedly patrolled by a designated neighborhood police unit working alongside private security guards.
