A crime crackdown in Dallas got a big boost Thursday morning with a $10,000 donation.
Right now, officers are focusing their efforts in 27 of the most crime-ridden areas of the city. The money will help police make these dangerous areas of the city safer.
“Everyone suffers,” said Gerry Heningsman with the Apartment Association of Greater Dallas.
Heningsman believes when crime plagues a community everyone is impacted. He presenting a check from the apartment association for $10,000 to help the police department buy new crime-fighting technology. The group feels it’s a good investment in the community.
“If we can solve crime issues in the entire area, also in the apartments, the whole community is going to benefit,” Heningsman said.
The police department has identified twenty-seven areas as “hot spots” for crime. The areas represent approximately 6 percent of the city, or about 26 square miles, but it’s where officers see about 36 percent of the crimes.
Chief David Brown said criminals are drawn to the areas, and neighbors are victimized.
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“We cannot be successful alone, we need partners,” said Brown. For this initiative, the police department is partnering with “Safer Dallas Better Dallas.”
The mission of Safer Dallas Better Dallas is to protect the citizens of Dallas from becoming victims of crime and engage them in a partnership with Dallas Police, to support the efforts of our Dallas police officers, and to make Dallas America’s safest big city. Over 100 Dallas business and community leaders chose to join the new organization’s Steering Committee to show their support for Dallas police because they know we are in this fight together.
The group’s goal for 2012 was to raise funds to fully equip Ross Bennett area and Five Points, the top two crime “hot spots” in Dallas. To date, Safer Dallas Better Dallas has raised $350,000 towards their goal of $3 million. Safer Dallas Better Dallas has a goal to raise in 2013 the remaining $2.65 million. With the City of Dallas’s commitment of matching funds from drug forfeitures, the campaign will enable DPD to equip the top 20 crime areas.
The money is used to buy equipment like 3-wheeled vehicles, neighborhood security cameras, bait cars, and mobile license plate readers.
The next two areas to be funded will be Camp Wisdom/Chaucer and St. Augustine/Bruton.
The chief said this is the ninth consecutive year crime is down in Dallas, but for the chief, it’s not low enough.
“The best way to reduce crime is to prevent it from happening in the first place,” said Brown.
It costs around $300,000 to equip one of the target areas. The chief said in order to make Dallas one of the safest big cities in the country, the crime numbers need to be cut in half.
