Dallas Cops Beg Witnesses to Overcome Fear of Snitching and Help Solve Murders

A woman who sold tacos was found stabbed to death outside her home. A man was shot several times during a fight outside a club. Another man was waiting for his order at a catfish restaurant when he was shot to death in his car. Each murder happened at different times on different days in different areas. But they share one commonality: no witness has said who done it. Of the 172 homicides in 2016 in Dallas, fewer than half were solved. Instead of waiting for witnesses to call them, Dallas police are meeting people in their neighborhoods to push them to come forward with information to help crack cases. Homicide detectives and supervisors are visiting residents of crime-ridden areas at a series of meetings and churches, community centers and libraries."How do we get the folks to start snitching?" Deputy Chief Vernon Hale asked about two dozen people gathered Jan. 30 at Salem Institutional Baptist Church Church in South Dallas.The crowd murmured, and Bobbie Edwards chimed in, "There's retaliation all the time." "If you need me to build a confessional booth at the station, I'll do it," Hale quipped.Though police came to talk about murder, most people wanted to talk about the robbers and drug dealers plaguing their neighborhood. They wanted to see more patrol cars in their neighborhoods, especially on Pine Street, where they claim gangs have taken over. Hale said detectives won't know what's going on if people don't call. Callers should give as much information as they know: where, what who, when. "If all you know is 'Jojo' from 'Pine Street Crips,' we need to know that information," he said. Sometimes those tips can lead to a suspect in a homicide or a drug house or a group of robbers targeting a neighborhood.   Continue reading...