A new procedure goes into effect Friday in Dallas regarding offenders with domestic violence convictions.
The city will be the first in Texas to report low level domestic violence convictions to the Texas Department of Public Safety, prohibiting gun purchases and possession.
In a 2017 state-wide survey conducted by the Texas Council on Family Violence, three North Texas counties (Tarrant, Dallas, and Collin) ranked in the top five for most domestic violence related deaths.
According to the report, 65 percent of victims were shot to death.
Prior to the new process, in Texas, it is mandatory that counties report family violence convictions for all offenses higher than a Class C misdemeanor. “Most domestic violence incidents begin with a misdemeanor C conviction and escalate,” said Jan Langbein, the CEO of Genesis Women’s Shelter and Support in Dallas. “These usually are not isolated incidents, and they increase not only in frequency but in severity as well. The will close the loophole and protect more victims.”
Starting Friday, the city of Dallas Domestic Violence Task Force will enter all convictions into a data base, along with the perpetrators fingerprints, and that information will be sent to the FBI.
The family violence offender database is not accessible for public review.
“This will be a proactive approach to a very pervasive problem. What if we could stop the violence at a misdemeanor C level. What if we took the gun out of the hands of that perpetrator. Maybe it would never get to a felony assault. Maybe it would never reach homicide,” said Langbein.
Dallas city leaders will also discuss a gun surrender program in the future. They will consider legislation for 2019 to expand the process to other municipalities in our area.
