Dallas, TX
Dallas police say city's violent crime is down 19% due to data-driven reduction plan
Three years in, the Dallas Police Department’s leaders say their plan to reduce violent crime is paying off.
New numbers show overall violence is down more than 19% compared to the three years before the plan started.
Still, after a South Oak Cliff High School student was shot near campus on Monday, some in the community say there’s more work to be done to make Dallas safe.
Minutes before students were dismissed at South Oak Cliff High School, an emergency broke out down the street.
“I heard like four or five gunshots very loud,” said Roberto Arellano, who lives on Overton Avenue.
A Dallas ISD official told NBC 5 that a freshman student was at nearby South Oak Cliff Renaissance Park when she was shot and ran back to campus to seek medical help.
The school held up dismissal while police launched an investigation.
Dallas ISD officials said the victim was not believed to be the target. Dallas police said the student was grazed by a bullet and would survive.
“It weighs very heavy on our hearts, most definitely,” said Carolyn King Arnold, Dallas City Council representative for District 4. “Because we keep seeing the headlines of young people whose lives are being taken at a very, very early age.”
The shooting came three days after Kimball High School senior David Washington was shot and killed in south Dallas, with a 16-year-old now charged with his murder.
On Monday, Dallas police leaders gave an update on the city’s overall state of violent crime.
“All of your usual crime counts are down year to year,” said UTSA professor Dr. Michael Smith, an architect of the city’s violent crime reduction plan.
Dallas Police leaders said violent crime in Dallas was down 19.2% from 2021 to 2024 compared to the three years before.
They said it was the impact of the police department’s violent crime reduction plan, an ongoing effort made up of three phases: Hotspot Policing, a grid system that assigns more officers to high-crime areas in the city; Place Network Investigations, which sends code enforcement and investigators to problem apartment complexes; and Focused Deterrence, which helps get resources to people deemed high risk for violent behavior.
“This crime plan would not work if the men and women of this department did not buy in,” said Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia. “They have completely bought in; they’re doing tremendous work.”
The numbers weren’t all positive: data showed the total number of homicides from 2021-24 was up 7% compared to the three years before the plan.
But murders in Dallas this year were down nearly 25% compared to 2023, and police said they hoped to expand this violent crime plan.
“Our hope is that this is going to be a longstanding, that this is going to be in the fiber of the Dallas Police Department where it’s about building stronger communities,” said Garcia.
On Monday, NBC 5 also learned for the first time how much that violent crime plan is costing the City of Dallas: Garcia said police have spent a total of $24 million since 2021 to implement and run the effort.
Jeff Kolb and Sam Gannon welcome Cowboys insiders Clarence Hill (All City Dallas) and Calvin Watkins (Dallas Morning News) for a hilarious breakdown of the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft. Giving insight, arguments, and plenty of laughs as two of the best Dallas Cowboys writers in the business go head-to-head on what Dallas should do next.
Dallas, TX
New video of Lake Dallas explosion draws focus on order decades ago to remove old plastic pipes
The search for the next general manager or president of basketball operations of the Dallas Mavericks has begun. They terminated Nico Harrison in November, which was about nine months too late, and gave any available candidates clear notice that they were open for business.
The plan was always to wait until after the season to start the search. While names popped up as the season reached an end, they didn’t begin turning over the staff until the Monday after the season ended. However, Dallas Mavericks fans are not going to like how the team is going about the search.
Patrick Dumont Leading Search for General Manager
NBA insider Jake Fischer reported that the Mavericks are not hiring a search firm in their hunt for a new lead executive. Instead, team governor Patrick Dumont is “acting as his own point person.”
This is an… interesting decision, to say the least. Dumont is not a basketball person whatsoever, and most organizations usually hire a search firm. The Chicago Bulls hired one as they look for their replacement for Arturas Karnisovas. Just because a firm is hired doesn’t mean a team will listen, though.
The Mavericks hired a firm in their last search for a GM. They let Donnie Nelson go in 2021 after a long tenure with the Mavs. Instead of listening to the firm, though, Mark Cuban ignored it to hire Nico Harrison, who had no previous NBA front office experience. Harrison had been an executive with Nike, which gave him connections with players like Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, and plenty of others.
For a while, that seemed to be working out okay. While he still had some questionable transactions, such as trading for Christian Wood and letting Jalen Brunson walk in free agency, they were still able to make a run to the NBA Finals in 2024. Then, he blew it all up, trading away Luka Doncic for an older and injured Anthony Davis, and the team hasn’t been the same since.
It’s imperative that the Mavericks get this hire correct. The interim Co-GM setup with Matt Riccardi and Michael Finley has performed admirably, but the 2026 NBA Draft is important for the Mavs to get right. It’s their best chance to pair Cooper Flagg with another young star, as they don’t own their first-round pick again until 2031 after this.
Hiring the right GM could help bring in more draft capital by bringing in bad contracts or flipping veterans into picks.
Dumont was able to convince Rick Welts, a Hall of Famer, to come out of retirement to be the CEO and lead the charge for a new arena. Maybe Dumont pulls another rabbit out of his hat for the GM.
Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on X for the latest news.
Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow
-
Kansas6 minutes agoChiefs 7-round mock draft: How Kansas City could rebuild for 2026
-
Kentucky12 minutes agoWhere Kentucky turns following Donnie Freeman’s commitment to St. John’s
-
Louisiana18 minutes ago8 children killed after domestic dispute in Shreveport
-
Maine24 minutes agoA Maine school hosted an anti-bullying dance team. Libs of TikTok called it ‘grooming’
-
Maryland30 minutes agoMaryland Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 results for April 20, 2026
-
Michigan36 minutes ago10 things to know about kratom, which Michigan lawmakers want to ban
-
Massachusetts42 minutes agoInjured Massachusetts teen thanks rescuers who
-
Minnesota48 minutes agoDriver who fatally struck bicyclist in Minneapolis may have been impaired, police say