Hate crimes have been ticking down in Dallas amid a reported nationwide rise in such offenses against Jews, Palestinians, and Muslims.
According to the City of Dallas crime overview dashboard, there have been 33 hate crimes committed within Dallas city limits as of October 27, marking a 17.5% year-over-year decrease from the 40 offenses logged in the same period last year.
City data indicates that six of the offenses were “ANTI TRANSGENDER,” five were “ANTI HISPANIC,” five were “ANTI JEWISH,” eight were “ANTI HOMOSEXUAL,” three were “ANTI BLACK,” two were “ANTI ASIAN/PACIFIC ISLANDER,” one was “ANTI ARAB,” one was “ANTI ISLAMIC,” one was “ANTI MULTI-RACIAL,” and one was “ANTI OTHER ETHNICITY.”
Digging into the data on the City’s victim demographics dashboard, it appears the overwhelming majority of hate crimes recorded this year were assaults of some kind. Twelve were logged as instances of intimidation, eight were simple assaults, and seven were aggravated assaults, totaling 27 assault offenses.
Of the 27 assault victims, 22 were male, and five were female. Ten victims were Hispanic or Latino, seven were black, seven were white, two were Asian, and one was Middle Eastern, according to the data.
The youngest victim was a 10-year-old black boy. The oldest victim was a 59-year-old Asian woman.
Dallas’ latest hate crime figures come at a time when Jews, Palestinians, and Muslims in the United States are reportedly experiencing a significant spike in hate crimes following the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, according to CNN.
Overall, there have been 90,533 criminal offenses committed in Dallas so far this year.
The Dallas Police Department has struggled to curb crime overall due to an ongoing officer shortage. It maintains a force of fewer than 3,200 sworn personnel, roughly 800 less than the 4,000 recommended by a city analysis.
The effects of the shortage can be seen above all in Downtown Dallas, especially when crime rates are compared to the downtown area of Fort Worth, which is reportedly patrolled by a designated neighborhood police unit working alongside private security guards.
