Dallas Police Department

First Week of Dallas' Aggressive Panhandling Crackdown Nets More Than 100 Arrests

Dallas police have made more than 100 arrests since the start of their Quality of Life Initiative - a crackdown on aggressive panhandlers in and around downtown.

"We are focusing on the determined and persistent panhandlers the ones that make the general public feel uncomfortable," said Sgt. Paul Hinton, with the Dallas Police Department.

As of Sunday night close to 103 people had been arrested on a Class C misdemeanor as a result of aggressive panhandling.

"We're starting to see probably about 20 to 25 percent are the same people," Hinton said. "We arrested them yesterday, we arrested them two days ago and they're right back out there in their same spots."

When the initiative was rolled out Feb. 1, Dallas police acknowledged the challenge of repeat offenders but hope repetitive enforcement will send a message.

"It's working we got a lot of positive feedback, we've had business owners, we've had citizens in the downtown area approach us in the middle of our enforcement actions and they're very thankful and they're very appreciative of what we're doing," Hinton said. "[It] seems to be making a difference downtown."

Officers specifically assigned to the initiative are out on the streets from 6 a.m. until 10 p.m., 7 days a week and working in two different shifts with anywhere between four and eight officers per shift, according to Hinton.

These dedicated officers find cases of aggressive panhandling several ways including witnessing it while patrolling, someone soliciting an undercover officer directly or responding to complaints from citizens through dispatch.

Contact Us