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Dallas police response times increased by one minute, chief says
A city council that has been divided about their support of the city manager was unified Wednesday in their support of the Dallas police chief and his leadership style of the department. But the police department is not without its challenges.
DALLAS - The Dallas police chief told the city council that response times for priority one calls are slipping again.
Staffing levels are once again getting the blame.
A city council that has been divided about their support of the city manager was unified Wednesday in their support of the Dallas police chief and his leadership style of the department.
But the police department is not without its challenges.
Dallas Police Chief David Garcia revealed response times for priority one calls have gone up by one minute. He says repeat offenders who are let out of jail again and again are part of the problem.
Garcia says council members must push for accountability with bonds and bails.
"It is disheartening for the community. The community trusts us. That is why we solve crime. It can be no more lack of trust than for communities to put themselves out there to assist only to see there is no accountability. One thing out of our control we could work on, it would be that," he said.
Garcia says staffing levels are part of the problem, and he has a plan to hire more officers as quickly as possible as well as entice current officers to stay.
Right now, more than one quarter of DPD's officers are eligible for retirement.
Garcia said he is working on strategies to entice them to stay.