Dallas police say petty crimes have increased in downtown, so they have a new plan to address the problem.
Police Chief David Brown and his team are busy adjusting schedules to create a new overnight shift that will exclusively patrol downtown Dallas in the overnight hours.
Brown said 25 officers will be pulled from other divisions citywide and will focus their attention on patrolling downtown Dallas and providing immediate response to emergency calls.
"We just reached a point where we had to make something happen. So what we've done is a re-shuffling of the deck," Brown said.
The new so-called Central Business District "first watch" shifts begin on Dec. 1 and will run from roughly 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.
Early Tuesday morning, Dallas police rushed to the West End DART station for reports of a man that was mugged by two men. When police got there, the suspects were gone. DART Police are now heading up the investigation.
Brown said petty crimes have been on the rise in downtown. He said it's largely due to the "explosive" growth of the downtown population and its growing reputation as a nightlife destination.
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"Downtown parking is mostly garage parking, but we have seen an increase in burglaries from motor vehicles; increase in all kinds of petty thefts, mostly panhandling. We're still seeing a lot of that near the rail stations near the downtown area," he said.
John Crawford, president of the non-profit DowntownDallas advocacy group, said downtown's population was "just about 200 people" 15 years ago.
"Now it's up to 10,000 and still growing," he said.
Crawford said there are about 2,000 apartment units still under construction in downtown.
Nathanial Jacob moved to downtown Dallas just a few months ago and said he's already been the victim of a crime.
"I've been here maybe six months, and my car got broken into a couple weeks ago. It was in a garage," he said.
Jacob said he rarely sees police cruisers out and about while he's walking his dog.
"I'd probably feel safer just seeing more cars going around," Jacob said. "It can't hurt, and they probably would be in a better position to catch something."
Brown says he understands the feeling.
"It's come to the point where we just need more resources, more officers on the ground," he said. "Both to deter crime, but also to be on the spot, ready to make an arrest, when needed."
Brown said officers will patrol downtown on foot, in police cruisers and on bicycles. He'll also deploy plainclothes officers when necessary.
Many downtown residents tell NBC 5 the biggest change they've seen over the last few years is an increase in aggressive panhandling. Many residents also say people make threatening or lewd gestures as they walk past.
Downtown business leaders say they've been lobbying for a dedicated downtown patrol shift for years.
"They weren't able to respond as quickly as they needed to. And they weren't physically in view, which we think is a deterrent for people thinking about committing a crime," Crawford said. "We feel this new Central Business District watch provides the necessary protection, and people will feel safer."
