DALLAS — City officials say they are optimistic about meeting a voter-mandated goal of 4,000 police officers within four years, though their hiring plan relies on targets the city council opted not to fully adopt earlier this year, the Dallas Morning News reported.
The Dallas Police Department currently employs around 3,200 officers, according to the report. Under the city’s latest staffing projections, officials expect to hire 350 new officers this fall and 400 each year through 2029. Factoring in annual attrition estimates of roughly 190 officers, the city anticipates having approximately 4,060 officers by the end of fiscal year 2029.
“We went from seeing recruiting classes of 10 and 20 to now in the 45-50 range,” said Dominique Artis, Dallas’ chief of public safety. “So, if we can continue that momentum and attrition doesn’t go up, then we can feel confident about hitting our goal numbers.”
Voters approved Proposition U in November, requiring the city to maintain a minimum of 4,000 officers and increase police-related funding. In response, the city council considered raising annual hiring goals to 325 this year, 350 in 2026 and 400 in 2027. However, members voted 12–2 to limit this year’s goal to 300, citing staffing and training constraints.
As of June, the department forecasted hiring 320 officers by the end of the current fiscal year and losing 172 to attrition, according to the report.
Dallas Hero, the nonprofit behind Propositions U and S, has criticized the city’s pace. Executive Director Damien LeVeck told the council in February that the city should meet the 4,000-officer threshold within five years. In March, the group’s attorney, Art Martinez de Vara, threatened legal action for failing to take “immediate action” on Proposition U’s requirements.
The city’s progress has been mixed. After years of falling short on hiring targets, Dallas met its 250-officer goal last year for the first time in several years. To support future hiring, the council approved redirecting $7.7 million in federal pandemic relief funds toward recruitment and retention, including incentives like $40,000 bonuses for veteran officers who commit to staying an additional two years.
The city also eased hiring standards in June by removing college credit requirements for new recruits, a move aimed at broadening the applicant pool. Officials say it’s too early to know how much of an impact the change will have.
Recruit class sizes in 2024 have ranged from 26 to 62, with May’s class at 43. In 2023, some classes had as few as 14 recruits.
Among Texas’ 10 largest cities, only San Antonio and Arlington have seen consistent police staffing growth from 2022 to 2024, according to FBI-reported data. Other cities, including Houston, Austin and Fort Worth, showed little or no change.
