Dallas Mayor Johnson Named to COVID-19, Criminal Justice Commission

Dallas mayor Eric Johnson was named to the National Commission on COVID-19 and Criminal Justice, the mayor's office announced Sunday.

According to the commission, its mission is to assess the impact of COVID-19 on the justice system, develop strategies to limit future outbreaks, and produce a priority agenda of systemic policy changes to better balance public health and public safety.

Johnson is the lone mayor on the Commission, which is led by former U.S. Attorney Generals Loretta Lynch and Alberto Gonzalez.

"I am honored to have been asked to participate in this distinguished and diverse group as we analyze and discuss solutions to two of the biggest issues facing our country," Johnson said in a statement. "We have critical work ahead of us to keep the public safe, to build equity, and to address systemic racial issues amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which has shaken Dallas and created significant need in our communities. I look forward to continuing our discussions and to moving Dallas forward."

The Council on Criminal Justice launched the commission in July, and Sheriff Ed Gonzalez of Harris County is the only other Texan on the national commission.

The commission will have its second meeting this week, Johnson said, and it recently released two reports, analyzing crime trends during the COVID-19 pandemic and state and local budgets.

In one of the reports named COVID-19 and Crime, Dallas was one of the 27 cities whose crime trends were analyzed. The report found that property and drug crime rates fell significantly during stay-at-home mandates, but that rates of violent crime began to increase in some cities in May.