Dallas, TX
UNT Dallas gets $10 million for new law enforcement training center
The University of North Texas at Dallas will receive $10 million for its new law enforcement training center, a yearslong construction project aimed at improving training facilities for police.
The Communities Foundation of Texas’ grant marks the largest philanthropic gift in the university’s history and helps pave the way for a new Dallas police academy by 2027, officials announced at a news conference Thursday. CFT is also the fiscal sponsor of The Dallas Morning News’ community-funded endeavors.
The new academy is meant to improve the Dallas Police Department’s training experience and boost recruitment and morale, particularly in light of steady drops in police staffing numbers in recent years. City officials have repeatedly decried the worn-down state of the current academy, which houses about 300 police recruits.
“This new facility will let our officers know that they are seen, that they are valued and that they are appreciated for their noble sacrifice and service,” Dallas police Chief Eddie García said.
García said the new academy represents an investment “into the heart and soul” of the department. The current academy is housed in a rented industrial space in the Red Bird neighborhood and has been used by the department since 1990, although it was originally only intended to be temporary, García said.
The chief said officers’ needs have tripled the last three decades and the academy doesn’t have enough room for showers and bathrooms for recruits. In the City Council’s public safety meetings, elected officials have criticized the academy’s mold and odor from decades of sweat and lack of locker space.
“It is embarrassing and it is not indicative of who we are,” García said. “They deserve better. Our city deserves better.”
The new center is set to be located next to a park on 5 acres of UNT Dallas’ campus, officials said. It will feature more communal spaces and classrooms, expanded gym facilities, outdoor running paths and virtual-reality training technology. The facility will also serve as a regional training center for other police departments in the area.
The project was projected to cost about $150 million, police officials previously said.
The state legislature committed $20 million last year, and the city of Dallas hopes to allocate an additional $50 million through this year’s bond package, which the city council will vote on next week. If approved, residents will vote on it in May. The city hoped to obtain the rest through private funds and charitable grants.
Bob Mong, president of UNT Dallas, said the initiative reflects a commitment to attract more local youth and adults to careers in law enforcement. He said he saw the state of the academy about five years ago, which “was enough to shock me and enough to stir my own determination to get this thing pulled together.”
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson said the project has been “years in the making” and can set a new standard for law enforcement training nationwide as well as “turn the tide” in recruiting.
Dallas police have struggled to replenish ranks amid high attrition rates, even with the introduction of new incentives and programs in recent years to retain and recruit officers. The department has about 3,000 officers, down from the 3,500 to 3,600 it had in 2014 before hundreds left during a pension crisis in 2016-17.
Wayne White, CFT’s president and CEO, said their grant builds upon a first-of-its-kind partnership between the philanthropic organization, academia and law enforcement.
“Dallas is second to none when it comes to generosity and public-private collaboration,” he said.
Dallas, TX
Dallas faces conference rival Denver
Associated Press
Denver Nuggets (22-15, fourth in the Western Conference) vs. Dallas Mavericks (22-16, fifth in the Western Conference)
Dallas; Sunday, 3 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets visit Kyrie Irving and the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.
The Mavericks have gone 16-13 against Western Conference opponents. Dallas is ninth in the NBA with 45.2 rebounds led by Dereck Lively averaging 8.2.
The Nuggets have gone 14-10 against Western Conference opponents. Denver is third in the NBA scoring 120.6 points per game while shooting 49.9%.
The Mavericks average 116.4 points per game, 0.1 fewer points than the 116.5 the Nuggets give up. The Nuggets score 8.8 more points per game (120.6) than the Mavericks allow (111.8).
TOP PERFORMERS: Irving is shooting 49.0% and averaging 24.3 points for the Mavericks.
Russell Westbrook is shooting 45.9% and averaging 12.9 points for the Nuggets.
LAST 10 GAMES: Mavericks: 4-6, averaging 111.1 points, 43.9 rebounds, 23.1 assists, 7.0 steals and 7.1 blocks per game while shooting 46.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 110.9 points per game.
Nuggets: 6-4, averaging 122.8 points, 45.5 rebounds, 32.0 assists, 8.4 steals and 4.7 blocks per game while shooting 50.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 117.1 points.
INJURIES: Mavericks: Dante Exum: out (wrist), Luka Doncic: out (calf), Kyrie Irving: out (illness).
Nuggets: Aaron Gordon: day to day (calf), Jamal Murray: day to day (knee), DaRon Holmes II: out for season (achilles), Spencer Jones: day to day (thigh), Vlatko Cancar: out (knee).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Dallas, TX
Former Dallas Cowboys DE, Robert Quinn, arrested in South Carolina
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. – Former Dallas Cowboys defensive end Robert Quinn was arrested in South Carolina Friday morning after police said he tried to leave the scene of an accident.
Quinn, 34, was charged with leaving the scene of an accident with property damage and reckless driving, jail records show.
What we know:
Police in North Charleston, South Carolina responded to a car dealership just after 2 a.m. Friday because of a collision involving a red truck.
The North Charleston Fire Department arrived first on the scene and told police that the suspect might be attempting to leave the scene of the crash in another car.
When police arrived, they found Quinn in the passenger seat of a white Dodge Challenger that had its reverse lights on. The vehicle’s driver placed the car in park and told police she had been called by Quinn to “pick him up,” according to a police report.
Police said Quinn had visible injuries to his head and face, had slurred speech and was uncooperative with officers who asked for his identification.
Quinn eventually provided his identification to officers, but asked himself “where is my wallet” while his wallet was in his hand before dropping it in his lap.
The police report states a maroon Ford F-150 registered to Quinn was on the other side of the parking lot and looked to be the vehicle that started the collision.
Police said Quinn’s truck hit the passenger side of a Honda Element, which was pushed into a blue Ford F-150 that hit another car.
Officers asked Quinn to get out of the Challenger, but Quinn resisted by holding the door to the car, the report states. Police removed Quinn from the vehicle, and he was “escorted to the ground” by officers because he was trying to pull away from them.
Officers interviewed the woman with Quinn, who said she had met him at G-Club, a gentleman’s club, where she works, earlier that night.
Another employee of the club came to the scene and said Quinn had left alone about an hour before the collision happened.
Timeline:
Police said they used city cameras to build a timeline of the crash.
The police report states Quinn’s truck was seen driving down the road around 2 a.m. Friday and was veering left, crossed an intersection, a median and then onto dealership property.
City cameras did not pick up the collision, but it can be heard, the police report states.
Police said around 2:03 a.m. a single person is seen walking through the parking lot and a few minutes later that person walked to a Valero gas station.
At 2:07 a.m., the person is seen walking back to the dealership parking lot while stumbling and falling several times, the police report states.
About a minute later, a white Dodge Challenger is seen entering the parking lot around the same time that the fire department arrived, according to the report.
Dallas Cowboys Defensive End
Quinn played the 2019 season with the Dallas Cowboys after being traded from the Miami Dolphins for a sixth-round pick.
Quinn was suspended for the first two games of the season after violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances. He was named the team’s starting right defensive end when he was reinstated.
Quinn finished the season with 25 tackles, 11.5 sacks and two forced fumbles.
Quinn signed a five-year, $70 million contract with the Chicago Bears the following season.
Quinn was drafted 14th overall by the St. Louis Rams in 2011 and spent six years with the team before going to Miami, Dallas, Chicago and ending his career in 2022 with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Quinn was born in North Charleston, South Carolina, where he played high school football before playing college football for the University of North Carolina.
The backstory:
This isn’t Quinn’s first tangle with law enforcement.
July 2012 – Florissant, Mo.
Quinn was arrested for driving while intoxicated in July 2012 in Florissant, Missouri, while a member of the St. Louis Rams.
Florissant police said Quinn was involved in a single-car accident on an exit ramp of Interstate 270 on July 10, 2012. Police said he was cooperative with them during the arrest.
Quinn was also charged with failure to exercise a high degree of care and having no insurance.
August 2023 – Summerville, S.C.
In August 2023, Quinn was arrested in Summerville, South Carolina after police found four unoccupied vehicles in a subdivision had been damaged.
At some point, Quinn allegedly exited his vehicle and got into a physical altercation with a woman before leaving the scene.
According to an accident report, a Ford F-150 truck crashed into multiple vehicles. Responding officers proceeded to search the vehicle and found an empty whiskey bottle on the passenger side floorboard.
Per the police report, the unidentified woman was sitting in her driveway when the suspect hit two parked vehicles. The driver then exited the truck and offered to buy her beer, the woman told investigators.
Quinn was charged with third-degree assault and battery, hit-and-run of an attended vehicle, four counts of hit-and-run property damage and striking fixtures on or adjacent to the highway.
What’s next:
Quinn was booked into the Charleston County, South Carolina jail.
Jail records show Quinn has a preliminary court date set for Feb. 27, 2025.
The Source: Information in this article comes from the North Charleston police department and previous FOX reporting.
Dallas, TX
Dallas Snowfall Totals: How much snow fell on Thursday and Friday?
DALLAS – North Texas got less snow than expected overnight.
FOX 4 Weather Meteorologist Evan Andrews said it was one of those crazy forecasts where some people got exactly what they expected, and others got the opposite.
“Some of you got that heavier precipitation [on Thursday]. Others were waiting for some overnight, and the precip overnight really never got going. We got a little bit of light snow on the backend but not a ton,” he said.
For snow lovers, the snow that was on the ground from Thursday is still there. However, the total accumulation did not increase much overnight.
Snowfall Totals (as of 4 a.m. Friday)
Overall, the areas of highest accumulation were north of Highway 182 in Cooke and Grayson counties. Areas like Gainesville, Sherman, and Bonham got more than 6 inches of snow.
A lot of people in Wise, Denton, and Collin counties got between 3 and 6 inches.
Fort Worth and North Dallas saw between 1 and 3 inches.
People south of Dallas got less than an inch of snow.
Thursday Snowfall (as of 9 p.m.)
Future Snowfall
No additional accumulation is expected on Friday, with the exception of maybe a few light flakes early Friday morning.
The Source: The information in this story comes from the FOX 4 Weather team.
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