Criminologists say Dallas is now in uncharted territory — while cities often set hiring goals, mandates of this scale are uncommon.
The Preston Hollow neighborhood renter says it’s common for police not to respond to reports from neighbors about car break-ins or other crimes he admits are lower-level but still impact residents’ sense of safety. So he was happy to vote for Proposition U, whichwith 50.5% support from Dallas voters and includes a new city charter mandate that Dallas maintain a force of at least 4,000 cops — an increase of around 900.
Weymouth and another Dallas voter, Sukhbir Kaur, say they recognize it will take the city time to hire another 900 officers. Weymouth guessed it could take at least three years, while Kaur said she hoped it would be closer to one or two years. Neither have direct knowledge about the police department’s hiring practices.“But I would like to see more police officers sooner rather than later,” said Kaur, 53, who lives near the Medical District. “We all would.
Interim Dallas police Chief Michael Igo declined to comment about Proposition U after it was passed but is expected to address the topic next week. Former Chief Eddie García voiced concerns about the proposition before he left for a new job in Austin. He said Dallas would also need more academy space, trainers, patrol cars and supervisors to accommodate and support the 900 new recruits.The 4,000-officer figure borrows from the police department’s previous goals.
While reaching 4,000 officers is a great talking point, Piquero said the devil is in the details with recruiting, training and then carrying out the mission. The nature and scope of the new mandates is “a lot to swallow in a short period of time,” Piquero said. The new mandate could spur important discussions about hiring standards, such as if the department should retain as a disqualifier that potential applicants can’t have used marijuana as a teenager or that all applicants need some college credits.
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