Opinion: It’s Time for Change, It’s Time for Justice

Keep Dallas Safe (KDS) has always been a staunch, unapologetic supporter of the Dallas Police Department. These brave men and women who serve to protect the good people of Dallas risk their lives every day to make sure residents have a safe place to go home to at night and that Dallas is a safe place to conduct business. They deserve the support of us all, and they surely deserve the support of the district attorney. When the DA decides not to work with the police; however, that invites chaos and potential tragedy into our community and is unacceptable.

One member of the Keep Dallas Safe team recently went on a ride-along with a Dallas officer, and the experience was eye-opening. During the trip, the magnitude of the Dallas crime pandemic became far more real and apparent. While KDS and the police officer were leaving the station, gunfire ripped through the air. In the blink of an eye, a seemingly peaceful evening ride along turned into a firsthand experience of the real-life nightmare our police officers regularly face. A voice erupted over the radio, “THEY FIRED SHOTS AT US, WE NEED ALL UNITS HERE RIGHT NOW!”

Five suspects, engaging in a rival gang feud, shot at officers after gunning a citizen down in a drive-by shooting. Two had been captured and detained, but the remaining three were still at large. With the resources available, the officers quickly made a perimeter around the crime scene and searched the area. After an hour or so, the search was called off; the remaining suspects were not found.

What sort of mindset does it take for someone to not only shoot and potentially kill someone but to then fire at officers just down the road? This is the type of violent, murderous behavior that is essentially condoned in Dallas. The KDS member and the Dallas officer reviewed the profile of the two suspects that were arrested at the scene. One of the men, only 21 years old, had a criminal record longer than this write-up—no exaggeration. The man had been arrested on several occasions (some for federal offenses), but every time, he was eventually released and never faced serious time. Arrested one week, out the next, only to continue committing violent crimes.

This is exactly why Keep Dallas Safe and so many Dallas police officers are fed up with District Attorney John Creuzot and his catch and release policies. He has allowed so many criminals back on the streets, and in this case, it not only resulted in a man being hospitalized but Dallas officers also being put in a seriously harmful, and potentially deadly, situation. Creuzot’s refusal to enforce the law has led to a near-complete deterioration of order and safety in Dallas.

If Dallas is ever going to be the prospering, thriving place that it once was, there needs to be a change in leadership at the DA’s office. John Creuzot has shown time and time again that he will not truly enforce the law, and Dallas residents and officers alike are bearing the burden of this