Dallas police offer choice to repeat offenders: intervention or federal punishment
DALLAS - A law enforcement strategy that started in Boston decades ago is now part of the Dallas Police toolbox.
It is called "focused deterrence," one-one-one intervention with people most likely to commit a violent crime.
It works if individuals accept what Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia calls an "olive branch" to get on a productive, positive path or face punishment in the federal system.
It's all about an individual making a life choice.
"Focused deterrence really is getting a group of individuals that would otherwise be susceptible to violent crime at risk individuals and giving them two messages: first message is we're not going to tolerate violence in our city," said Chief Garcia. "If they need other things to get started we want to help them get in the right direction for them and their families."
Two weeks ago the chief, along with community partners, met in this face-to-face intervention with more than two dozen people who've been in serious trouble more than once or twice.
Man on probation, with 13 arrests since 2014, accused of robbing 3 Dallas stores in 5 days
The case was used as an example of a new initiative by Dallas ATF and Dallas police as it looks to curb violent crime across Dallas.
"They're identified by chronic offenders, whether they've been involved in violent crime recently, probation, parole, gang members, and individuals that have committed more multiple violent crimes in the city and identifying those specific individuals using data is how they were identified," said Garcia.
Metrocare is one partner.
Another is the South Dallas Employment Project, which is made up of over 100 organizations committed to providing jobs and life skills.
"They took part in a lot of the resources, so it was a great meeting. We'll do them quarterly, and what we're going to start to do is not only individuals who are out of custody, but we're going to start to take the show into custodial facilities as well to get that message out before individuals get released back into our city," said Garcia.
Dallas Police have seen a drop in violent incidents overall this year, but the homicide rate was up from last year. Chief Garcia says recently the trend has started to turn around.
"When you look at the homicide rate we've done some remarkable work in the last month and a half," said Garcia. "I think we were 22 or 23 murders over where we were last year and as of this morning I think we're nine over. So we've reduced homicides in the most critical months, which is important, but what we've continued to reduce has been violent incidents."
Garcia says that murder is not the city's benchmark, it is other violent crimes like aggravated assaults.
This plank in the crime plan is intended to push that number down.
"A hundred robberies, a hundred aggravated assaults are not committed by a hundred different people. So, if we're able to concentrate on chronic offenders we'll be able to reduce violent crime even further in the City of Dallas," said Chief Garcia.
Success for focused deterrence will be gauged by whether the group that says yes to the help being offered, stays with it.