Dallas Mayor Announces New Public Safety Initiatives

DALLAS (WBAP/KLIF) – Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson announced this week that he will pursue a series of new public safety initiatives for the city.

The mayor said Tuesday that his proposals build upon Police Chief Eddie Garcia’s violent crime reduction plan, strategies from the Mayor’s Task Force on Safe Communities, and other city efforts.

“Public safety is our top priority. Last year, our kitchen-sink approach — which embraces both data-driven law enforcement strategies and community-based solutions — helped us reduce violent crime in our city,” Mayor Johnson said. “As we face new challenges this year, we must be relentless in our pursuit of public safety policies and partnerships that can make a measurable impact in our communities.”

Mayor Johnson detailed his plan to City Manager T.C. Broadnax and City Attorney Chris Caso. The mayor is collaborating with both on the efforts.

Recommendations provided by the mayor are listed below:

Blight remediation: Blight remediation was one of the top recommendations of the Mayor’s Task Force on Safe Communities. While the Dallas City Council has previously committed to funding blight remediation efforts in the city’s annual budget, Mayor Johnson has begun to work with the City Attorney’s Office on a new policy — modeled on a successful program in Philadelphia — meant to take the city’s blight remediation efforts to the next level.
School partnerships: The mayor is pushing for greater coordination between school districts and the City of Dallas on the expansion of social-and-emotional learning programs in public schools.
Focused deterrence: The mayor is calling for funding a focused deterrence program — a component of Police Chief Eddie Garcia’s violent crime reduction plan — in the upcoming budget and for implementing it as soon as possible.
Challenging alcohol licenses of bad actors: Several violent incidents in the city’s vibrant and thriving nightlife districts have caused some safety concerns. The mayor has requested that the City Attorney’s Office and City Manager’s Office work collaboratively to protest the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission licenses of businesses that have created public safety problems in those areas.
Dallas City Council committee briefings: The mayor is requesting that the standing committees of the Dallas City Council take up briefings this fall regarding strategies that various city departments and agencies can contribute to improve public safety in Dallas.