This browser does not support the Video element.
Dallas Black Police Association shows support for Police Chief Renee Hall
The Black Police Association of Greater Dallas called for a press conference on Friday to support the police chief.
DALLAS - A local police association is rallying to support Dallas Police Chief Renee Hall.
It's all in response to a letter from Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson that some interpreted as an attack on the way Chief Hall is running the Dallas Police Department.
The Black Police Association of Greater Dallas called for a press conference on Friday to support the police chief.
"We are tired of everyone trying to fix the blame on Chief Hall," said DBPA President Terrance Hopkins. "The issues in Dallas are not just a chief problem alone."
They were joined by community members who believe that Chief Hall inherited the problem Dallas has with increasing violent crime and do not believe it is her problem alone to solve.
It comes after Johnson sent a strongly worded letter to the city manager earlier this month, stating that it is unacceptable that the city is on pace for more than 200 homicides this year and calling for a plan to reduce violent crime to be presented to council next month.
The mayor gave his State of the City address this week, saying he's not trying to get rid of the police chief, but he does want specific tactics and strategies from her.
“We are on pace, at this point, to have not just more murders than we had last year, but more murders than we've had in over a decade,” Johnson said during his address.
Dallas has had 199 homicides this year. That is not only more murders than the city had last year. It is more murders than the city has had in over a decade.
Chief Hall has created a violent crime task force, and wants to implement a crime prevention program called Ceasefire.
Her critics, including some city council members and the president of the Dallas Police Association, have said task forces are not how you reduce crime -- there should be more leadership over her administration.
“We have an uptick in crime, and there are those who want to blame the police chief. An uptick in crime is going to happen in every city in America at some point,” Hopkins said. “There are issues with humanity. There are issues with parenting. There are issues with education, with jobs. It's not just a police problem.”
A retired Dallas police homicide sergeant also spoke saying that counting the number of homicides is not a way to evaluate a police chief.
"I don't think that evaluating murders would be accurate to evaluating her job as police chief," Cletus Judge said.
Last week, Dallas Police Association President Mike Mata said that Chief Hall does carry some of the blame. He said that the violent crime taskforce she created isn't working.
Chief Hall was not at the press conference and has not spoken publicly in reference to the mayor's letter.