For Dallas City Council District 1, Community Engagement is The Key to 17 Percent Drop in Crime

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Dallas Police Department crime dashboard

Few people are willing to say it out loud, but in the early 1990s, when some of today’s city leaders were in high school, Oak Cliff was a place where parents told their children not to hang out after dark. 

Now the area covered by Dallas City Council District 1 — including North Oak Cliff and the Bishop Arts District — is thriving, engaged, and on the lower end of the overall crime ranking for the 14 council districts, coming in at No. 10 in the number of crimes reported last year. 

Candidates vying to represent the district on the Dallas City Council say the lower crime rate is attributable to one major factor: community engagement. 

District 1 Dallas City Councilman Chad West is seeking re-election May 6, challenged by political newcomers Mariana Griggs and Albert Mata. Mata could not be reached for comment on this story.

“District 1 has a lot of engagement,” Griggs said. “That is the key. We’re a tale of two districts. You go south of Jefferson [Boulevard], and the engagement decreases. The engagement in North Oak Cliff is spectacular, above and beyond. District 1 is No. 1. We know how to get things done, and we can be a model for the whole city if you let us.” 

Albert Mata, Chad West, Mariana Griggs

West earned the endorsements of several local police and firefighter associations, including the Dallas Police Association Political Action Committee. The City Council’s support of local law enforcement, D1 neighborhood engagement, and the recruitment of quality new development have been major factors as Oak Cliff has gone from a bad part of town to the place to be, West said.

“I can only speak for my district, which is a small piece of Oak Cliff,” he said. “I think it’s [due in part to] more engaged neighborhoods. Over half of the geographic area that I represent is empowered by neighbors who have taken it upon themselves to take leadership and take ownership.” 

Year-to-date stats in District 1 show decreases in property crime (almost 18 percent), crimes against persons (9 percent), robberies (37 percent), and vandalism/destruction of property (15.44 percent) compared to this time last year. 

Some data, as we’ve learned throughout this series on crime by council district, is arbitrary. Critics have pointed to an increasing murder rate in Dallas this year, although that’s not specific to District 1, where an already-low number of homicides has stayed the same. A Dallas Morning News report found that “justifiable homicides” such as those involving an officer or deemed to have occurred in self-defense aren’t counted. 

West told CandysDirt.com that criminals probably don’t respect the borders of council districts.

“I don’t think they have it in their heads that when they cross Illinois Avenue or Interstate 35, that [police are] going to be cracking down on crime tougher on this block versus one block south or east or west,” West said. “Either way the data goes, whether it supports me or is against me, I don’t think it’s attributable to what one council member is doing.”

Safe Neighborhoods

There are things, however, that a body of elected officials such as the Dallas City Council can do to foster a safe environment.

Recognizing that the council’s support of Police Chief Eddie Garcia’s Violent Crime Reduction Plan and a staffing shortage has resulted in fewer patrol officers on the streets, West said small strides like infrastructure improvements can reduce minor accidents — thus freeing up patrol officers to focus on other areas. 

Winnetka Heights traffic island

A recent reduction from six to four traffic lanes on Jefferson Boulevard reduced accidents by 82 percent, West said. Additionally, a new traffic island in Winnetka Heights reduced the number of motorists traveling above the speed limit. 

“Collisions, when they occur, take away valuable time from firefighters and police officers who have to respond to those situations,” West said. “When you have an engaged neighborhood that is watching and communicating directly with DPD, you typically see a reduction in crime because you have neighbors who are paying more attention to crime prevention. That continues to be the No. 1 priority in my district. It has been before my time, and it probably will be after my time to infinity.”

Engaged Neighborhoods 

Over time, North Oak Cliff became a draw for young families and business professionals, in part because of the housing and workforce opportunities. 

“The development is radiating out from downtown,” Griggs said. “Kessler Park and North Oak Cliff, north of Colorado [Boulevard] was really the first to get redeveloped. As those homes got new owners and as people redeveloped the homes, families moved in and people got jobs. We all grew up. I moved in 20 years ago and didn’t have kids. The neighborhood grew up.”

Three new neighborhood associations formed as the West Oak Cliff Area Plan was being drafted.

“The city and I both learned early on in the three-year WOCAP process that the engagement that’s typically performed by the city wasn’t working,” West said. “The city changed its method of outreach from posting online and putting up fliers to door-knocking, putting out yard signs, and hosting pop-ups at grocery stores and markets. That was not a surprise to me because when I went out during COVID to get people registered, the only way you could reach a lot of people, especially in our predominantly Hispanic neighborhoods, was by hosting pop-ups and sometimes in conjunction with a sporting event or food drive. It was a way to reach a population that otherwise was not engaged in that process.” 

The total outreach for District 1’s WOCAP surpassed the number of people engaged for the entire city’s Racial Equity Plan, West said. 

In addition to those who got involved during the WOCAP development, North Oak Cliff United Police Patrol has funded a dedicated police officer since 2007 who patrols the area about 60 percent of the time. 

The NOCUPP area includes East Kessler, Kessler Park, Kessler Plaza, Kidd Springs, Kings Highway, Briscoe Boulevard in Ravinia Heights, Stevens Park Estates, Stevens Park Village, West Kessler, and Winnetka Heights neighborhoods. About 770 arrests have been made by NOCUPP officers since its inception, according to leaders in the nonprofit, volunteer-run organization. 

“An officer literally drives every street of every neighborhood once a day,” West said. “I wish there was more patrol, but it is a supplement that neighbors have paid into and supported.” 

Supporting Law Enforcement 

A recent report of an armed robbery at an Oak Cliff doughnut shop caught the eye of community crime watchers, but a positive that came from it was the installation of cameras and better lighting. 

USA Donuts is a standalone building in a small strip mall off Westmoreland Road. 

“You can’t necessarily stop someone who is going to commit a crime,” West said. “What is certainly helpful is to put in things that deter crime, such as cameras. Having good communication with the police, having a well-lit facility, those kinds of things can help deter crime.” 

Griggs said crime in the area ebbs and flows based on its economic health.

“Sometimes it’s chronic and sometimes it’s acute, depending on what the stressors are,” she said. “Are you flush with cash? Do you have a three-day weekend? People, when they spend time with their families and drink a lot, will stab each other. These things do happen. We cannot escape humanity and the way we treat each other.” 

Random gunfire is a common complaint among Griggs’ neighbors, and it’s something she says can be easily addressed through education.

“The No. 1 challenge in government is so many layers of bureaucracy, so many talking heads,” Griggs said. “The mayor just put together his subcommittee for the bond package and it’s 75 talking heads. Somebody has to make a decision. I’m an educator. I have a business degree. I want to focus on reducing recidivism, creating public safety, and increasing engagement because I think those are the only ways we’re going to continue to have low crime.”

West is now working with property owners in the Bishop Arts District and along Jefferson Boulevard to create a Public Improvement District, although the concept has failed four times. 

“We’re going to try it again,” West said. “I’ve got a professional consultant putting together a plan. That would also supplement security presence along those busy corridors.” 

Bishop Arts District

An overall reduction in violent crime across Dallas is something to be proud of, the councilman added. It’s important for the entire council to continue to support law enforcement, particularly the police pension fund, which is facing a massive deficit, he said. It’s difficult to recruit and retain officers in Dallas because of the pension problem, police officials have said. 

“I’m concerned about crime everywhere in Dallas,” West said. “I think you’ve got to continue to focus on crime prevention. Even when you are successful at the moment, you don’t want to rest on your laurels because that’s when things can get worse.”

Griggs said she supports Chief Garcia and his Violent Crime Reduction Plan, but crime could persist as long as there’s a staffing shortage. 

“I feel like our chiefs get bogged down in data,” she said. “Our chief needs to focus on recruiting 600 new cops. It needs to be a persistent and holistically-driven, focused deterrence.”


Editor’s Note: This is the sixth installment in our series on neighborhood crime by Dallas City Council district. Have you been the victim of a crime in a Dallas neighborhood or shopping center? Let us know about your experience at [email protected]


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April Towery covers Dallas City Hall and is an assistant editor for CandysDirt.com. She studied journalism at Texas A&M University and has been an award-winning reporter and editor for more than 25 years.

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