Police detectives from Dallas and Garland are now reporting for work at Dallas FBI headquarters as part of a new violent-crime task force.
The task force, which officially formed Oct. 1, already has indictments to show for the collaboration that was underway even before starting day.
"We know that the violent criminals know no jurisdictional boundaries," Garland Assistant Police Chief Greg Conley said.
Dallas U.S. Attorney Sarah Saldana is also supporting the task force to help prosecute the most serious violent offenders in the federal court system, where sentences can be tougher and there is no parole.
Saldana said orders from Washington support this approach.
"Our effort should be focused on the violent repeat criminal that poses a substantial risk to the community," she said.
Several local cases from the past few months are already being prosecuted in federal court through the partnership, including an Addison bank robbery spree, an armed robbery that wounded a Garland store clerk and a downtown Dallas kidnapping.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
FBI agents helped Dallas police with a recent serial armed-robbery case targeting insurance offices. The suspect may also now be prosecuted in federal court, officials said Thursday.
"You've got to call on and tap into all these resources," Saldana said.
All of the agencies have limited budgets and manpower, so the partnership support goes both ways.
Dallas FBI Special Agent in Charge Diego Rodriguez said federal agencies are looking to local police for support with their work.
"We've now looked to partnering because, again, of the finite set of resources that we have. We have to leverage these other strengths," Rodriguez said.
Dallas Police Chief David Brown said violent offenders still plague the community despite the city's big crime reductions in each of the past 10 years.
"We're not satisfied that Dallas is as safe as it needs to be," he said. "We're trying to enhance our ability through collaboration -- given limited resources -- to be able to respond to whatever crime trends, particularly violent-crime trends, that might arise."
Brown said Dallas responds to crime problems faster by sharing technology, information and communication with the federal agencies.
"And this task force enhances that capability to quickly respond in a timely manner," he said.
