Murder spikes in 2023 Dallas Year-End Crime Numbers

A spike in Dallas murders has some neighbors calling for more help from police.

The good news is that overall, violent crime was down 8% in the year-end 2023 numbers, led by a drop of nearly 19% in aggravated assault.

Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia spoke about the trends and the ongoing violent crime reduction plan of focused deterrence at the December 11^th City Council Public Safety Committee Meeting.

“The way you reduce murder is reduce the incidents of aggravated assault that cause the murder and the men and women of this police department are doing an incredible job," Garcia said.

Dallas murder was up 15% in the 2023 figures, with 32 more killings, a total of 246 compared with 214 the year before.

One example of the increase is the corner of Bonnie View Road at Simpson Stuart Road.

There was a big show of Dallas Police presence in that neighborhood Tuesday.

Officers conducted a traffic safety check in the middle of Bonnie View, randomly stopping vehicles. They also interrupted gatherings of homeless people.

“You’ve got to make sure you’ve got police presence. And it’s been a hot spot for many, many years. But the point is it goes away but it comes back again,” neighborhood City Councilman Tennell Atkins said.

Murders very close to that corner last year included one at a corner store, another at a dollar store, and another at an older apartment complex where kids walk to school.

But near that corner is also a brand new apartment complex and a recently re-opened grocery store that the city supported to help the neighborhood thrive.

At the December crime meeting, Atkins received assurances of police presence from Chief Garcia.

“When it comes from a presence perspective, we are truly going out where the data tells us to do. And we’re certainly trying to be as present as possible,” Garcia said.

Compared with the year before, there were 8 more 2023 murders in the South Central Police sector, which includes Bonnie View at Simpson Stuart.

But the Northwest and Southeast sectors each had 13 more murders, an even larger increase.

Residents in those areas also want more presence from a police department that is around 600 officers smaller than it was in 2011.

“And that’s what the residents are saying. ‘Hey, we don’t see the presence.’ We’re shorthanded, we know we’re shorthanded. But we need more presence in order to make sure we’ve got a safe neighborhood,” Atkins said.

One Southeast crime last month was four relatives murdered. Police said the gunman who killed himself after the murders had a prior history of threats and still lived right beside the victims.

“Unfortunately, there are decisions beyond our control, that allow individuals like the one who committed these heinous murders, out on the street,” Garcia said. “We can’t be the only part of the criminal justice system that is demanded to be transparent.”

Public Safety Committee Chairwoman Cara Mendelsohn held charts showing declines in both violent crimes and the number of crime victims.

“And they’re both trending down, and that’s awesome. And I hope this is the headline, because we certainly still have a lot of crime, more than any of us want, and some terrible headlines, but it is going down,” Mendelsohn said.

Back on Bonnie View Road, homelessness and unemployment are other big challenges that police face.

“And I’ve also heard a lot of officers say 'nothing stops a bullet like a job.' So, I think the answers are here before us. It’s how we put the puzzle together,” Council Member Gay Donnell Willis said.

Dallas city leaders are pursuing many other solutions besides police presence to reduce 2024 murder numbers.

The 2023 figures also show increases in property and social crimes from an overall crime increase of less than 1% in Dallas.