It is nearly two weeks into the new year, and black and Hispanic people continue to be vastly overrepresented among murder victims in Dallas.
As of January 12, seven individuals have been murdered within the city limits, including a teenager, according to the City of Dallas crime analytics dashboard. Four victims were logged as black, two as Hispanic or Latino, and one was white. The racial disparity in murder victims this year appears to be continuing the trend seen in 2023.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, 2023 proved to be an especially violent year for thousands of black and Hispanic people in Dallas. Of the 246 murders logged by officials last year, 134 were black, and 81 were Hispanic or Latino. City officials clocked a 15% year-over-year spike in murder that year, and, together, black and Hispanic individuals made up 87.4% of all murder victims.
Additionally, Black and Hispanic people made up the overwhelming majority of aggravated assault victims. Of the 6,381 offenses committed last year, 3,228 were against black people, and 2,309 were against Hispanics or Latinos. Blacks comprised 50.6% of aggravated assault victims in 2023, and Hispanics and Latinos comprised 36.2%.
An ongoing staff shortage has seemingly hampered the Dallas Police Department’s ability to get crime under control. It only has around 3,000 officers on staff despite a City analysis calling for closer to 4,000 to maintain public safety. Downtown Dallas has been especially affected by the shortage, with the area clocking significantly higher crime rates than Fort Worth’s city center, which is patrolled by a specialized neighborhood police unit and private security guards.
Budgeting only $654 million for DPD this year, City officials will be spending much less than other high-crime jurisdictions, like New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago.
