Trackdown: Task force in Kaufman County working to combat rising crime

KAUFMAN COUNTY, Texas - Kaufman County is 36 miles from Dallas. It is now experiencing explosive growth, and with that comes growing pains that include spikes in crime.

The county’s district attorney is proactively pushing out the Kaufman County Street Crimes Task Force to push back on crime.

"Kaufman County is the fastest growing county in the nation, with that comes a population. With a population, unfortunately, comes crime," Kaufman County District Attorney Erleigh Norville Wiley said.

That is keeping Kaufman County law enforcement running.

"But what I'm seeing with them is stolen guns, cars, those are things that are happening on the street, gang association people moving from Dallas County to Kaufman County. There is no fence there, we've got to work that," Wiley explained.

"We're going to do everything we can to get in front of this and start being proactive, ahead of the curve," Pct. 2 Kaufman County Constable Jason Johnson said.

Since 2021, aggravated assaults are up more than 50% and robberies are up 100%.

"Once we started this collaboration, we also reached out to the Texas Anti-Gang Unit, which is part of the governor's task force, because he knows just how important this is to the state of Texas," Wiley said.

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He said the state is paying attention to what they’re doing.

"They're willing to partner with us and they're joining in with us providing resources that we just don't have in our county," Wiley added.

Car burglaries and thefts are both up more than 300% in two years. That includes a recent stolen car that the task force chased after.

The vehicle crashed, before the suspects inside took off on foot. They dropped backpacks, where authorities said they found guns, narcotics, and tools used to break into cars.

"We are doing everything that we can on the law enforcement side to move forward, and the DA is graciously supporting every charge that we can charge them with," Constable Johnson said.

"I just warn anybody that thinks they're going to commit a crime in Kaufman, there's not going to be a plea bargain on a violent offense," Wiley said.

If you would like to report a crime in Kaufman County, you can visit www.stopnorthtexasgangs.org, or call or text at 469-376-4105