Welcome to the February edition of The Dallas Express’ “Crime Boss of the Month.” We believe at The Dallas Express that our readers should have easy access to important information, such as crime rates and trends throughout the city.
That is why the Dallas City Council Member whose district has experienced the most significant percentage increase (or most minor decrease) in crime is named the “Crime Boss of the Month” every month.
To calculate a cumulative weighted total for each city council district in Dallas, we assigned a specific value to crimes based on their severity. After adjusting for population differences, we calculate the percentage change by comparing the per capita “Crime Score” for a given month to the score for the same month the previous year. The districts are ranked based on the number of crimes reported during the last month, and the current Crime Boss of the Month is named.
The Crime Boss of the Month for February 2022 is Jaynie Schultz, Council Member from District 11. Schultz is the first Dallas City Council member to be named Crime Boss of the Month more than once at The Dallas Express after garnering the classification first in November of 2021.
Schultz is the President of the Schultz Family Foundation and has served on numerous committees and boards. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a B.A. in Government and the University of Texas at Arlington with an M.A. in Urban Studies.
Jaynie Schultz Sees a 26% Increase in Crime Score for January 2022
Under Schultz’s authority, District 11’s per capita Crime Score jumped from 179 in January of 2021 to 226 in January of 2022, an increase of a 26%.
There were 105 more crimes committed in the district this year over last, and several categories saw double-digit increases.
Among the crimes that saw the most significant spike, as was the case the first time Schultz was named Crime Boss of the Month, was motor vehicle theft, moving from 101 incidents in January 2021 to 151 in 2022.
Burglary and Breaking and Entering nearly doubled, with 50 instances this year in January compared to last year’s 26, an increase of 96.1%.
District 11 also saw 15 more reports of Destruction, Damage, and Vandalism of Property crimes, from 34 to 49, more than four other Dallas districts.
The last double-digit increase when comparing this past January to January of last year in District 11 was in Assault Offenses, which shot from 30 in 2021 to 46 in 2022, an increase of 16 total.
Schultz’s district has a population of 93,975, nearly 13,000 less than Dallas’ most populous (District 14, at 106,927). Despite ranking eighth of 14 in population, District 11 showed a steeper increase in crime rate than the seven more densely populated districts.
Overview of Dallas District 11 Crime Score by Category
District 11 saw six crime categories increase by single digits when comparing February 2022 to 2021. Hazardous Traffic Violations jumped from 14 to 21; DUIs rose from seven to 10; Disorderly Conduct, Weapons Law Violations, and Animal Offenses each increased by a total of two instances, and Non-Violent Family Offenses rose from one instance in 2021 to two cases in 2022.
Of the 31 crime categories, District 11 saw increases in 12 categories. A total of 10 categories had no reports in either 2021 or 2022 (including Homicide, Arson, and Human Trafficking). District 11 also saw a decrease in six crime categories, including Drug and Narcotic Violations. Still, only one — Public Intoxication — saw a double-digit decline, falling from from 20 in 2021 to 10 in 2022.
The Dallas Express contacted Schultz’s office for comment on being named Crime Boss of the Month for February; we asked what was done after the first Crime Boss report on District 11 to slow crime increases, as well as what her response was to the higher rates in Burglary, Vandalism, and Assault, and if any measures will be taken to slow these increases.
At the time of press, Schultz’s office had not responded. Should the answers to the questions arrive from the council member’s office, The Dallas Express will write a follow-up story.
How did your area stack up on crime? Check out our interactive Crime Map to compare all Dallas City Council Districts. Curious how we got our numbers? Check out our methodology page here.
