Despite the 83 violent incidents and 114 offenses during holiday weekend in Dallas, Police Chief says the crime trend is going down
Dallas, Texas – It has been a pretty busy holiday weekend for Dallas authorities as dozens of people were shot and four people were reported dead from Friday to Monday.
However, despite the violent weekend, Dallas Police Chief remains positive since the violent crime rate in the city has been declining in the last few months. He also added that this year’s number of violent crimes is down compared to last year’s Fourth of July holiday.
“We had a very violent early Monday morning – there’s no doubt – there’s no doubt about it. I know that’s what people wake up to,” said Garcia. “But what I would hope is, collectively, we send the message violent crime has been trending down in the city of Dallas the last four months. Anyone that’s been paying attention would be able to notice that it’s trending down.”
He pointed to numbers comparing this weekend’s violent crime to violent crime over the July 4 holiday in 2020.
According to the Dallas Police Department, there were 128 violent incidents and 179 offenses during the 2020 Independence Day holiday. Garcia compared that to 83 violent incidents and 114 offenses during this year’s holiday weekend.
Garcia said his department has stepped up patrols and continues to target 47 high-crime areas in the city.
“One life is too many,” Garcia said. “One incident yielding many victims is too many, but I’m very proud of the effort of the men and women of the Dallas Police Department over the weekend.”
One complaint NBC 5 heard from people reporting crimes over the weekend related to a slow response time from police officers.
Garcia said the city is working to address problems plaguing the 911 call center through compensation, training, and recruiting.
He’s also optimistic about the recently launched violence interrupter program. The city-funded effort uses former gang members and civilians in communities they know to help connect with people and bring crime down.
“Again we remain cautiously optimistic of our plan, but now is not the time to let up,” Garcia said. “We need to put our foot on the gas to continue to tamp down on what’s plaguing our city.”