DALLAS (1080 KRLD) - The latest crime statistics from the Dallas Police Department show improvements in some categories compared to this time last year.
"As of the end of April, we were 5.66% down in homicides and robberies of businesses and individuals were down by 15.41%," said Dallas Police Chief Renee Hall.
The Chief launched a Crime Reduction Plan after a surge in murders in Dallas in 2019. Her goal has been to reduce murders and aggravated assaults by 10 percent in some neighborhoods in south Dallas while reducing violent crime city-wide. While the number of murders is down slightly, some categories of crime are showing an increase city-wide. "Aggravated assault is a continuous challenge in each of these districts," the Chief said. Aggravated assault cases are up by approximately 22% compared to the same period last year.
Some categories of crime have seen temporary fluctuations as the city has responded to COVID-19. Robberies of businesses are down compared to April of 2019, but burglaries of businesses are up.
"The criminal element has not dissipated because of the stay-at-home order. Our regular citizens are staying at home, but our criminals are continuously working over time," Chief Hall said, "We have some things in place that have been combating that and our goal is to continue."
Dallas Police have also changed some of their procedures to allow for social distancing because of COVID-19.
"We're distributing PPE (personal protective equipment), we're constantly giving out about 15,000 masks. We use hand sanitizer, gloves and Clorox wipes," Chief Hall said. The Department has also switched to on-line or over-the-phone reporting for some lower-priority crimes. The Department has also issued more than 200 cell phones that will allow officers to interact with citizens during calls.