By Lori Lee
NDG Contributing Writer
Police Chief Eddie Garcia called a diversity of community press representatives to a meeting earlier this week. Garcia said the department wants to establish better connections with the community, while gathering ideas from the community and opening up new pathways to communication. The sound of chants could be heard outside Dallas Police Department offices in protest over the recent death of Shaniah Jones.
After acknowledging Jones’ family and friends, Chief Garcia said the meeting was set up to discuss issues with diversity and crime reduction.
“Not every area of Dallas has to deal with violent crime,” said Garcia, “but our first priority is keeping people from being shot.”
Issues discussed that day included staffing and technology, which Garcia brought up with regard to slower-than desired police response times.
We are in the midst of a national staffing crisis for police departments across the country, he explained.
When asked whether the department has the needed funding to support hiring new police to keep up with Dallas’ tremendous growth, the Chief responded the City is approaching a new budget year, and he believes the mayor and council will back the department and support any needed growth.
Police departments are the fever reducer, Garcia explained, and not the ones to address the heart of issues that lead to crime.
When asked what the department is doing to improve lower-income neighborhoods, like Fair Park, Garcia pointed out the absence of hope in some places. We want to invest in those areas and help those people to find hope, he said.
Discussing one South Dallas community that is receiving a new Target store, he said the department wants to be a part of that work because we really need that Target to succeed.
Part of our plan is our Focused Deterrent Program. The program was set up to help people who are susceptible to a life of violent crime. The goal is to change behaviors through a combination of deterrence, incapacitation (arrest), community involvement, and alternatives to violence, this according to the Department’s Violent Crime Reduction Plan.
One strategy is to clearly communicate to gang members and violent offenders the risks of continued activities, while pointing out available alternatives through social services, education, and job-related services. The support and partnership of social service organizations, including city agencies, non-profits, or community-based leaders and groups, is necessary, according to the plan.
Following other successful models, the Dallas focused deterrence strategy will use “violence interrupters” to help resolve street-level conflicts among violence-prone offenders, spread the retail deterrence message, and serve as street-level conduits to social services, the plans notes.
The department recently invited 35 people to a meeting associated with the Focused Deterrent Program. Chief Garcia said 23 people showed up, while 16 of those asked about further involvement.
Chief Garcia said the Dallas Police Department want to help those who need help with drugs, mental health, etc., and it wants a robust set of programs that will help people find hope.
According to the department’s plan, longer-term strategies to reduce violence include coordinating with other city agencies to implement a vacant lot “greening” program and vacant/dilapidated building abatement strategy.
