Dallas police chief outlines plan to reduce violent crime in 2020

DALLAS - Dallas Police Chief Reneé Hall is laying out her plan to tackle the city's rise in violent crime.

In 2019, homicides in Dallas climbed to more than 200 for the first time in more than a decade. Overall crime in the city also increased by almost 4% in 2019 compared to 2018. There was also a 15 percent increase in violent crime from last year.

Last month, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson called the current level of crime "unacceptable." He then asked DPD Chief Hall and City Manager T.C. Broadnax to come up with a plan to fight violent crime in the city.

Some see merit in the plan, while others are calling it window dressing.

On Thursday, Chief Hall submitted a 26-page plan with goals, specific strategies, and targeted objectives.

Her goals include a 10% reduction in murders and aggravated assaults in the Southeast, Southwest and South Central patrol divisions, a 10% reduction in robberies in the Northeast and Southwest divisions, and a 5% overall reduction in violent crime across the city. But that would not get Dallas back to the level of violent crime we had a year ago, before the spike in 2019.

The plan outlines four objectives:

• Implement a data-driven, comprehensive approach to address people, places, and behaviors impacting violent crime
• Increase clearance rates and solvability of violent crime
• Improve coordination and communications within the department and with external partners
• Optimize departmental resources using technology and improved key operational and organizational changes

“My initial take is that the objectives are all reasonable. They are based on good science, and they are measured, and I think there’s nothing surprising there about the good strategies the department wants to use,” said Dr. Alex Piquero, who is a professor of criminology at the University of Texas at Dallas.

Piquero, who is part of the mayor's own violent crime task force that has also been meeting to talk about how the community can help reduce crime, said he appreciates that the plan is data driven, by identifying patterns where violent crime occurs the most.

“So it’s not about my opinion or what we think is happening, it’s what does the data tell us. Where do we need to address the problem? Places. And where do we need to address the problem? People,” Dr. Piquero explained.

More specifically, Chief Hall wants to create a special division to centralize and analyze all of the department’s crime data. The Intelligence Led Police Division would identify patterns, forecast trends and keep a list of known offenders so the patrol division can put more officers in crime hot spots.

She also hopes to conduct targeted warrant roundups and create a rapid response team to quickly catch offenders after they commit violent crimes.

“We acknowledge no 'panacea' for crime exists; however, identifying the people, places, and behaviors that influence crime, will allow officers to work proactively to address trends and patterns.  Through ongoing cooperation with our fellow law enforcement, judicial, and social service partners, the department will continue to work collaboratively to ensure we reduce violent crime,” Chief Hall wrote.

The plan touches on other strategies like shutting down known drug houses, improving caseload management, continuing community engagement and utilizing new police technology for things like the Starlight Program.

Earlier this year, DPD placed cameras at three convenience stores where violent crime has been a problem. Police were able to use the Starlight Program’s live video feeds for an 84% reduction in 911 calls at one of those locations compared to 2018.

“The implementation of emerging technologies and recommendations from the KPMG efficiency and staffing study will streamline internal processes and efficiencies. This will improve case clearance and crime solvability, DPD’s coordination and communication with both internal and external partners and will allow the department to optimize all available resources,” Chief Hall wrote.

Before releasing the plan, Chief Hall sent a letter to rank and file assuring them the increase in violent crime is “not a result of your efforts."

Pointing out that in 2019, more than 2,800 guns were taken off the streets, $4 million in cash was seized, 8,000 pounds of narcotics were confiscated, and there were more than 7,300 arrests.

“Here you have your commander acknowledging the hard work that you do,” Black Police Association President Terrance Hopkins said.

The Black Police Association has been one of Chief Hall's vocal defenders.

The association's president said he sees opportunity to improve where there's already been progress.

“This is not a reinvent the wheel deal. It’s not that type of a deal. It’s where can we be more impactful at where we see the violent crime,” Hopkins added. "I was happy to see it because very seldom do we get that type of information as officers in a thank you from the chief, a personal thank you like that."

The plan does not address the department's officer shortage but talks about increasing the use of civilian employees for more time-consuming duties like the arrest book-in process and offense reporting. DPD has already identified 95 potential positions that can be filled by civilians instead of sworn personnel.

“The increased use of civilian positions to fill these roles will allow all ranks of sworn officers to be redeployed to areas in critical need,” the chief wrote.

Other police association leaders call the plan smoke and mirrors, and it’s simply re-doing old plans.

Mayor Johnson said in a letter the plan is a start, but goes on to say "our city's violent crime reduction plan should be more ambitious."

In his letter, the mayor went on to say he wanted to see violent crime reduced to 2018 levels citywide, and in the next five years, he wants the same kind of historic lows we saw in 2013 and 2014.

Councilman Adam McGough followed with a similar statement, stating: "Our goals need to be much more ambitious."

Dallas Police Association President Mike Mata agrees.

“We've already had hot spots. We've already had red zones,” he said. “We've already had round ups. Okay, those work, but they work for a very short amount of time.”

Mata maintains that the solution is more simple, saying the division chiefs should be given the authority to move manpower, adding more officers to the gang unit and narcotics unit.

“They have over 1,000 drug complaints and they have less than 30 officers answering those drug complaints? No. You've got to be more vibrant in those units to get that criminal element,” he explained. “Allow them to take their manpower and use it however they choose to to get that criminal element, and you will see results because you'll have the right person leading the right team.”

“The chief of police is a lot like the head coach, and when the team doesn't win, the coach gets all of the heat for not taking care of the problem,” Dr. Piquero added. “They are always going to be dealing with crime and violent crime. It's just part of being a big city chief.”

Chief Hall's office said she won't be speaking publicly about the plan until she presents it to Dallas’ Public Safety Committee on Jan. 13.