Councilman questions DPD’s efficiency after crime spike reported
By Jason Trahan, The Dallas Morning News
A Dallas City Council member called Monday for an efficiency study of the Police Department in light of recent reports of increased crime.
Council member John Loza called the FBI figures ranking Dallas No. 1 in crimes per capita among cities with more than 1 million people for the last five years “unacceptable.”
“We need a top to bottom efficiency study,” Mr. Loza told Police Chief Terrell Bolton during a meeting of the council’s Public Safety Committee, where the chief gave members an overview on crime. “Chief, that’s not a criticism of you, but we need to make sure we’re working efficiently.”
Chief Bolton, who told council members during a presentation that crime has decreased almost one-third from 1991 to 2002, said he would go along with a study.
“There hasn’t been a major look at the department in a number of years,” said Chief Bolton, who took over in October 1999. “I’ve been one of the most efficient and cost-cutting chiefs ... I’m not defensive. It’s time to take a look.”
Dallas Police Association president Glenn White said an efficiency study, which has been proposed before, would not help the Police Department get better.
“They need to take the money they’ll waste on that and hire more officers,” he said.
Mr. Loza urged council members to find money in the budget to hire more officers, as well as study New York City and its crime-reduction campaign.
He also urged Chief Bolton to mend his relationship with Dallas County District Attorney Bill Hill. The two leaders have clashed recently over the fake-drug scandal, in which evidence in some narcotics cases turned out to be mostly ground gypsum. Relations have also soured over the city’s move to possibly replace the county’s crime lab with a commercial outfit.
“As a former prosecutor, I know that if there is a breakdown in that relationship between the district attorney and the chief, we won’t be fighting crime,” Mr. Loza said.
“If you can get a lunch appointment, let me know,” Chief Bolton interjected, adding that he had tried unsuccessfully numerous times to meet with Mr. Hill. “I’d love to meet with him.”
Mr. Hill said Monday that he was meeting with the police chief Wednesday on an unrelated matter.
“In terms of us working with the Police Department, we have a great relationship,” Mr. Hill said. “We deal with hundreds of police officers every day, prosecuting their cases. We have to have that kind of working relationship.”
Several council members criticized Chief Bolton for the spike in crime this year. Statistics through the end of June show a 72 percent jump in homicides and a rise in robberies, aggravated assaults, burglaries, thefts and auto thefts compared with the same period last year.
“I’d rather walk the streets of New York,” said council member Mitchell Rasansky, referring to FBI figures that say Dallas has a higher per capita crime rate than the nation’s largest city. “I don’t feel safe in certain parts of Dallas.”
Council member Maxine Thornton-Reese said she was “appalled” at her colleague’s characterization of Dallas.
“Dallas is safer than it seems,” Dr. Thornton-Reese said, adding that statistics can be manipulated. “We must have community involvement.”
Chief Bolton pointed out that Dallas has experienced its lowest crime rates in the last three years when compared with the last quarter-century. He also said that police are responding to calls quicker. He listed a number of initiatives to help control crime in Dallas, including having stronger code enforcement in blighted areas and holding apartment managers responsible for high-crime complexes.
The chief said he plans to start a curfew squad to enforce the city’s nighttime deadline for youths to be out and about. He also said officers would crack down on truants.
In addition, he said he would begin requiring that police administrators hit the streets every so often to do their part to control crime.
“As the father of a 9- and an 11-year-old, this hits home with me,” Chief Bolton said. “We live in Dallas. As a chief, when I lay down at night, I want to be sure we are doing all we can.
“Dallas is a great place to live, work and play. We’re not going to look good in every statistic and every story you read. [But] the facts tell you that we’re not doing that bad.”