Dallas, TX
Murders are down nationwide. So why are they up in Dallas?
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Dallas just closed the books on the city’s bloodiest year since 2020.
According to police data, murders and non-negligent manslaughter climbed to 246 in 2023, up from 214 a year earlier and the highest since the violent death toll reached 256 in 2020.
That’s a rate of 18.86 murders per 100,000 people in Dallas last year, up from 16.41 murders per 100,000 in 2022. At least 204 of those deaths resulted from a firearm, up roughly 8.51% from 2022. And while violence is found in all parts of Dallas, a significant portion of murders were concentrated in a handful of locations in southern and northwest Dallas neighborhoods. So far, 2024 in Dallas began at roughly a murder-a-day pace.
What makes these statistics so disconcerting — including 34 homicides in March alone — is that other violent crimes, including aggravated assault, are down, evidence that an innovative violent crime plan is having some success. Yet, the increase in murders and non-negligent manslaughter runs counter to a national decline in murders last year. New York and Chicago posted double-digit percentage declines, and Detroit recorded the fewest murders since the 1960s. In nearby Fort Worth, police reported in mid-December that the city’s homicide rate had decreased by more than 20% from 2022.
So why is Dallas an outlier, and not in a good way? That’s a trend this community needs to understand and reverse.
Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia attributes the murder count to personal arguments and senseless conflicts that involve victims who were engaged in criminal activity or high-risk behavior. And that suggests the chief’s Violent Crime Reduction Strategic Plan, introduced in May of 2021, has to evolve to address this intractable threat to public safety.
Garcia also has said he remains committed to reducing aggravated assaults, which have fallen, telling a Public Safety Committee meeting recently that “the way to reduce murder is to reduce the incidents of aggravated assault that cause murder.” However, Dallas continues to face chronic staffing shortages that limit police presence and the ability to disrupt criminal networks that contribute to violent crime.
Comparing crime statistics can be tricky due how various jurisdictions report them. But while the Major Cities Chiefs Association reports double-digit declines in homicide across nearly 70 of America’s largest cities, Dallas isn’t one of those experiencing a decline.
Cities and the federal government generally attribute the 2023 drop in homicides and other violent crimes to expanded efforts to prevent crime, such as bipartisan gun-control legislation passed by Congress, collaborative efforts with community volunteers, police on foot or bike patrols, targeting of gun possession in high-crime areas, improved lighting and better traffic control.
Michael Smith, a criminologist at the University of Texas San Antonio who worked with Dallas police to develop a crime reduction plan, has offered several suggestions. One is greater cooperation from the criminal justice system to better assess the risk a suspect poses to determine whether a person stays in jail or gets out while awaiting trial, a change that might require help from the Texas Legislature to avoid running afoul of protections in the state constitution. This echoes Garcia’s concern that other parts of the criminal justice system haven’t done enough to keep offenders from being returned to the streets where they often reoffend.
The crime plan also should better target youth crime and firearms in order to keep dysfunctional and criminal behavior from escalating. Along those lines Garcia has urged city departments, clergy, schools, businesses, community groups and other interveners to be more active in supplementing police enforcement efforts. Garcia also wants to double down on such focused deterrence strategies to change the life paths of high-risk and at-risk offenders, including those returning from prison sentences into Dallas neighborhoods. This part of the plan involves jobs, education and assistance with social issues, all of which take time, money and focus to curb criminal culture and violent behavior.
The city also should consider ways to require multifamily property owners to do more to prevent their complexes from becoming magnets for violent crime. In speaking to the press this week, Garcia said Thursday that roughly two-thirds of murders in 2023 occurred either inside a residence or at an apartment complex, suggesting that changes might reduce homicides.
This much is certain. More than 200 murders a year in Dallas must not become the new normal.
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DALLAS – Former Dallas ISD Superintendent Michael Hinojosa announced that he is running for Mayor of Dallas on Monday.
Hinojosa says the city needs experienced leadership to address the budget challenges and pro sports teams leaving Downtown Dallas.
Addressing Dallas’ budget and pro sports team
Local perspective:
Michael Hinojosa served two stints as superintendent of Dallas ISD, totaling 13 years. He told FOX 4 that he officially filed paperwork to enter the race and plans to formally launch his campaign at a Tuesday morning news conference at Dallas City Hall.
Hinojosa points to financial track record at Dallas ISD
What they’re saying:
Hinojosa cited his tenure leading Dallas ISD as evidence of his financial management experience, saying the district’s reserves grew from about $32 million when he took over in 2005 to nearly $1 billion in obligated and unobligated fund balances by the time he left.
“I think that it’s really important for this community to know that we’re at an inflection point and that the city and the community need a strong, proven leader,” Hinojosa said.
He pointed to the city’s budget shortfall, employee furloughs and concerns over major sports franchises potentially leaving downtown as examples of challenges facing Dallas.
He said solving the city’s challenges would require coalition-building and pledged to focus on issues important to residents, taxpayers and businesses.
“I believe that a vision is a dream with a deadline,” Hinojosa said, adding that if elected he would aim to address the city’s biggest challenges within two terms.
Campaign announcement at Dallas City Hall
What’s next:
Hinojosa said he will outline his priorities during a 10 a.m. campaign announcement on Tuesday, July 14, at Dallas City Hall.
The Source: Information in this article was provided by an interview conducted by FOX 4’s Shaun Rabb.
Construction plans disrupt business in East Dallas. Just a few days ago, the owners of Juju’s Coffee off La Vista Drive in Dallas were informed by Oncor that the street on which their shop is located will be closed.
One of the owners, Nick Rocha, said the closure will last six weeks, but if there are any delays, it could be extended until October.
The coffee shop, which opened in 2023, has recently gained a lot of popularity. One of their drinks, called the “do-si-dos,” has gone viral, and now they have lines out the door on a regular basis.
“It’s a peanut butter milk latte… We probably doubled our sales or more if I had to be honest,” said Rocha.
Since the drink’s release in April, the flow of customers has been nonstop.
“We were like, ‘We’ll go viral and then we’ll die out.’ Then we’re like, ‘Well, when is it going to be over, because we’re just getting slammed?’ We were both doing like 60- to 70-hour weeks… And it just kept going, and it turned from like, ‘Okay, we’re scared of it,’ to, ‘Okay, we can do this,’” said Rojas.
Rojas says that just as they were adjusting to the new normal, the notice from Oncor came.
“They were just like, ‘Yeah, so we’re going to close the street, sorry.’ That was tough… because we’re in the middle of dreaming and vision casting for what’s coming and what’s next,” said Rojas.
Starting July 20, La Vista Drive will be closed, sidewalk accessibility will be difficult, and street visibility will be too. Rojas believes the impact could drop their sales by about 50%. He says they’ve had meetings with the city and Oncor, but says there’s nothing they can do, and now their only plea is to their customers.
“Anybody that comes in and supports, it’s a genuine gratitude from us,” said Rojas.
For the Dallas Cowboys and their owner, Jerry Jones, the hope is always that the changes made will improve the product on the field. Every team heading into training camp will have questions to answer, and the Dallas Cowboys are first on our list with 3 of the biggest ones. This will be an ongoing series for the next couple of weeks until camp starts, and answers start to reveal themselves in real time.
Another season of change for the Dallas Cowboys. Will it make a difference this time around to end the drought? Jerry Jones sure hopes so. Dallas hasn’t had a title in 30 years, and Jerry Jones promised to look in the mirror and make much-needed dramatic changes. The 34-year-old Christian Parker, who has no defensive coordinator experience, must embody the change upfront. Veterans were added, and Dak Prescott is back and healthy, running a new scheme. We shall see.
I wouldn’t worry about whether CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens can coexist long-term. I’m more concerned about whether you can keep them happy with the culture and get them to commit long-term. They declined to negotiate with Pickens and instead slapped him with the franchise tag. If Dak Prescott continues to spread the ball around, he should be able to keep them happy, but it comes at a cost: winning in the playoffs or a Super Bowl title.
Tight end Jake Ferguson’s role could diminish during the upcoming season. Even after signing a four-year, $52 million extension, former undrafted free agent Brevyn Spann-Ford is a better blocker and could have a major impact on the Cowboys’ offense in 2026.
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