Dallas must give online crime reporting a chance | Opinion
But we support Dallas Police Chief Eddie García’s decision to implement this measure, which also received support from council members during a briefing last month. García and other city officials told council members that the new policy could save up to 135,000 patrol hours and $8.8 million a year. The public safety committee will get a follow-up briefing in six months — an important part of the rollout plan.
Police launched a voluntary online reporting system in 2019. But not enough people have used it because crime victims prefer to file reports with a uniformed officer.Meanwhile, the average response time for the highest-priority calls has crept up in the first four months of this year to 10 minutes, up from 9.5 minutes for the same period last year.
The Dallas Police Department didn’t respond to our specific question about lingering concern from the ransomware attack. But the chief has been holding informational meetings and taking to social media in recent days assuring the public that the online system will be more efficient than waiting hours for an officer to show up and take a report.
We understand. It may feel good when you’ve just had your credit card stolen to call 911 and personally tell an officer about it. But is it really necessary? Given the staffing challenges faced by Dallas police and other law enforcement agencies, wouldn’t you prefer to have that officer respond to an armed robber? We would. Dallas must give this online reporting system for minor crimes a chance and reassess if it’s not working.
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