You deserve safety — and answers. The following was adapted from my email…
By: Mayor Eric Johnson
Tags: Masks, Covid 19, Vaccines, Public Safety, Newsletter

The following was adapted from my email newsletter.

You deserve to live in a safe city.

You deserve to be as safe as possible from criminals.

You deserve a prompt response from a 911 call taker and from the police in your time of need.

You deserve a city government that devotes the necessary resources to public safety.

You deserve to have confidence in those who are sworn to uphold the law.

And you deserve to be safe from a deadly virus.

To thrive, people must feel safe. And improving your safety should be the guiding principle for the leaders of your city government. That is why I have pushed for increased COVID-19 vaccinations, mask-wearing, and new public safety solutions — with and without the involvement of law enforcement.

And it’s why I am going to push for answers after Police Chief Eddie Garcia announced on Thursday that a veteran officer has been charged with two counts of capital murder. While the case remains under investigation and all the evidence needs to be heard, it was sickening to learn of the allegations on Thursday. Justice must be served in this case. The loved ones of the victims, especially, should hear the truth.

But this case raises a host of other questions about decision-making from those in charge at the city level. The officer has been a person of interest in this case since 2019. Former Police Chief Renee Hall confirmed to the media that she decided not to put the officer on administrative leave while he was under investigation. That means the officer remained on patrol despite the allegations, which investigators determined were sufficient enough to warrant the charges. Usually, while officers are under criminal investigation, they are put on leave.

But Hall initially said she took a recommendation made by investigators who were “collaborating with the FBI.” Then, after the FBI said they had nothing to do with the decision, she restated her position and said it was actually Dallas Police Department special investigators who made the recommendation.

Chief Garcia on Saturday said he has heard enough of the back-and-forth, and that the buck stops with the police chief when it comes to these personnel issues. And it’s nice to have a chief who is clear about his responsibilities.

But Chief Garcia just got here last month, and he told The Dallas Morning News he doesn’t know what exactly occurred in 2019. That shouldn’t be the end of the discussion. The city manager, to whom Chief Hall reported, and others need to account for this situation. Why was this decision made to leave him on duty? Who knew about it? When did they know? And what exactly, if anything, did investigators gain from that decision?

The people of Dallas deserve answers, and they should expect to have the utmost confidence in the decision-making of their public safety leadership, which runs from police headquarters through the city manager’s office.

Stay tuned for more updates soon on this important issue. Until then, here are some more safety-related updates for you.

Masks and vaccines

Monday was COVID-19 Victims and Survivors Memorial Day in Dallas, and downtown buildings went amber at night to commemorate the occasion. Dallas County also tragically passed more than 3,000 COVID-19 deaths last week — a jarring figure to hit in less than a year.

The next day, Governor Greg Abbott announced he was lifting statewide restrictions, including the mask mandate. He also forbade local governments from instituting new ones. But, he allowed businesses and local governments to require face coverings inside their own buildings.

So, on Thursday, I signed a new order to do just that. The order covers libraries, recreation centers, City Hall, city-owned performing arts centers, Fair Park’s buildings, the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, the American Airlines Center, and other facilities.

Masks save lives and can stop COVID-19’s spread and mutations. Dallas businesses and other establishments should continue to require masks for the time being. This won’t be forever, but until the city and the rest of the country get closer to herd immunity (which could be in the next few months!), it’s critical for the people of Dallas to stay on guard.

The governor’s order also makes it even more crucial to vaccinate as many people as possible, as quickly as possible. To that end, the city opened up its new vaccination hub at The Potter’s House in southern Dallas, and the county and the state are now deciding how and when to vaccinate teachers after the federal government directed it.

The Potter’s House site gave out 3,000 first doses of the Moderna vaccine last week and will give out another 3,000 this week. Meanwhile, the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center hub and Methodist Dallas Medical Center will continue giving out second doses to those who received their first doses at either site in previous weeks.

The Potter’s House operation has the capacity to give out many more vaccines if the state provides them. Hopefully, the supply will increase greatly in the coming weeks.

When it’s your turn to get the vaccine, don’t hesitate. It’s safe and effective, and it will help everyone get back to normalcy. Thankfully, hesitancy is decreasing. A new Pew Research Center study shows that 61% of African Americans nationwide are now likely to get the vaccine, which is up 19 percentage points from November. Those numbers still need to go higher, but the poll is encouraging to see.

Remember, you must register to get the vaccine in Dallas County, and all vaccination sites are currently by appointment only. To register for the Dallas County wait list, visit DallasCountyCovid.org or call 1–855-IMMUNE9 (855–466–8639) between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., seven days a week.

You can also visit DallasCityHall.com/COVID19 for more information on the city’s vaccination efforts.

Public safety report

The new monthly public safety report is out, and you’ll see below that with seven months still left in the fiscal year, about three-quarters of the police overtime budget has been spent.

That means police overtime spending is on pace to go over budget by millions of dollars — which is exactly what I sounded the alarm about when the City Council decided, irresponsibly, to slash the proposed police overtime budget by 25% amid a reduction in officers and an increase in violent crime. That decision was not made in the interests of putting public safety first, and some of the city councilmembers who supported the cut in September are now scrambling to find money.

Below are all the numbers for the public safety progress report for February. The parentheses show the change from last month’s report. Remember, the crime statistics had reset on January 1 and reflect the calendar year, not the fiscal year. Other numbers reflect the fiscal year, which began October 1, 2020. The numbers are current as of February 28.

Task Force on Safe Communities implementation

Number of new streetlights installed as part of the Priority Improvement Zones: 795 (No change)

Number of new streetlights installed as part of the Digital Divide and Strategic Streetlighting Plan: 100 (No change)

Number of new streetlights installed as part of the environmental improvements for crime prevention plan: 76 (No change)

Number of blighted properties remediated by Neighborhood Nuisance Abatement: 15,354 (+1,970)

Number of blighted properties remediated by the Office of Integrated Public Safety Solutions, utilizing Code Compliance personnel within Risk Terrain Area: 542 (+113)

Number of violence interrupters funded by the City of Dallas: 0 (No change)

Murders

Total number of murders and non‐negligent homicides year‐to‐date: 38 (+22)

Murder victims by race/ethnicity

Black: 24 (+13)

Hispanic: 9 (+5)

White: 5 (+4)

Other/unknown: 0

Murders by City Council district

District 1: 1 (No change)

District 2: 1 (+1)

District 3: 4 (+3)

District 4: 8 (+4)

District 5: 1 (No change)

District 6: 0 (No change)

District 7: 6 (+4)

District 8: 8 (+3)

District 9: 1 (+1)

District 10: 5 (+4)

District 11: 1 (No change)

District 12: 0 (No change)

District 13: 0 (No change)

District 14: 2 (+2)

(For your reference, here is a map of City Council districts. You can also find your representatives here).

Total number of murders and non‐negligent homicides during the current year in which no arrest has been made: 25 (+16)

911 calls

Number of 911 call takers on staff: 80 (+6)

Average 911 call holding time, in minutes and seconds: 17 seconds (+4 seconds)

Police civilianization, hiring, and overtime

Total amount of overtime funding expended to date in the current fiscal year: $12.77 million (+$3.57 million)

Total Dallas Police Department overtime budget allocated for the current fiscal year: $17.3 million (No change)

Total number of jobs transitioned from sworn officers to non‐sworn employees as part of KPMG civilianization plan: 16 (-12)

Total number of police officers and trainees hired year‐to‐date: 27 (+2)

Total number of police officers and trainees who have resigned, retired, or have been terminated: 82 (+18)

Total number of police department civilian employees hired: 74 (+16)

Total number of police department civilian employees who have resigned, retired, or have been terminated: 37 (+6)

Police response times

Median police response times to priority 1 calls: 6 minutes, 5 seconds (+12 seconds)

Percentage of priority 1 calls receiving a response in under 8 minutes: 56.35% (-2.16%)

Median police response times to priority 2 calls: 14 minutes, 11 seconds (-4 seconds)

To view the report as a PDF, click here.

Other than police overtime, a few numbers really jump out here. Murders are up in an alarming way, and Chief Garcia and his department know they will need to work hard on a plan to reverse the trend. The city manager’s office also corrected the police civilianization number, which shows the process is not moving as fast as indicated in previous reports. And 911 call wait times and response times are still not where they need to be.

Proposals for new violence interrupters are now finally being evaluated, and it remains clear from some of the crime statistics that they are desperately needed.

The numbers are another reflection of the fact that there are many high-priority issues to deal with right now. But it’s clear that the most important ones are all about your safety.

And to reiterate: everyone deserves to live in safe communities.

That’s why public safety must be prioritized by city leaders. That’s why public safety budget cuts for their own sake must be stopped. That’s why masks and vaccinations are so important. And that’s why answers are needed from city executives about decisions regarding the officer who is facing murder charges.

Continue taking care of yourselves and each other, and watch for more updates soon.