The Dallas Department of Code Compliance held an outreach event in southern Dallas Wednesday working with City Councilwoman Carolyn King Arnold to answer questions about violations and enforcement. Dallas Police, Dallas Fire-Rescue, Dallas Animal Services and the Office of Homeless Solutions also participated.
"We want to engage the community, provide information, not just about code compliance, but about COVID issues, reminding people about CDC guidelines, advising people the numbers are still going up," says Dallas Code Compliance Director Carl Simpson.
Simpson says they were planning to visit 3,500 homes in and around the Zoo Creek neighborhood. He says they wanted to answer questions and build relationships outside of an enforcement environment.
"Police and Code [Enforcement], we're regulatory enforcement agencies," he says. "Often, the only time the community will see us is when there may be bad news."
"We'll be going door-to-door to educate: if you see something, say something," says Dallas City Councilwoman Carolyn King Arnold. "If you don't have the resources, we have it."
Homicides in Dallas have increased from last year, with 179 through Tuesday, compared to 167 through the same time last year. In 2019, Dallas recorded 200 homicides for the first time since 2007.
Arnold says representatives from the city were also available to answer questions about resources and testing available for COVID-19.
"It's not time to give up. Now is not the time to pull the mask off. Now is not the time to disregard safety," she says
