Juvenile crime ticking up in Dallas and Nationwide, says FBI Director

DALLAS — In Garland, a 16-year-old is wanted for the murder of two teens.

In Lancaster, a 17-year-old is charged with the murder of his former girlfriend.

It’s part of a local increase in juvenile violent crime that’s caught the attention of FBI director Chris Wray.

“That increase matches trends we’re seeing on the national level,” said Wray during a visit to the FBI’s Dallas office.

While Department of Justice records show juvenile arrests for violent crime have plummeted since the mid-nineties, the Dallas County Juvenile Department shows them climbing over the last two years.

“I think there’s no one single cause,” said Wray. 

“For example, you have gangs who will task juveniles to be the shooter because of the perception that they have that the consequences to the juvenile will be less.”

Wray said children on gaming platforms or social media will sometimes egg each other on to commit violence. They can also find motivation to commit extremist acts.

“Each of the past three years, the Dallas area has seen an increase in cases involving juveniles inspired by foreign terrorist organizations like ISIS,” said Wray. 

He says the FBI and local law enforcement have successfully interrupted juveniles actively planning attacks. The FBI, in response, he says, is now growing its threat assessment and threat management program, aiming to better coordinate with local police, schools, and mental health professionals to stop the violence.