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This statement is in response to media inquiries regarding
discussions between police associations and City Manager A.C. Gonzalez. The
City Manager has been engaged in discussions with association members and Chief
Brown for several weeks.
“Unfortunately, the city is facing an increase in crime after
more than a decade of reductions,” said Gonzalez. “We are dedicated to
aggressively addressing this spike and returning the tide to crime reductions.
We must keep in mind that Dallas has seen an overall reduction
in crime that is at levels we haven’t seen since the 1930s. With crime rates
this low, we expect to see spikes at times, as we are seeing in different parts
of the country today. But once we see those increases in crime, we must act
immediately so that we do not see chronic problems resurfacing in our
community.
We support Chief Brown and also recognize that this is a
tremendous learning opportunity as to how we can make improvements within the
police department. The Chief has heard his officers’ concerns and also
recognizes the needs of our community.”
DPD Chief David Brown notified City Manager A.C. Gonzalez today
that late Monday night Governor Greg Abbott’s office offered state resources to
DPD.
“Given state and federal resources and the volunteers on DPD
staff who are willing to assist, this will significantly change our initial
plan to shuffle many of our police officers,” said Chief Brown.
“The big takeaway for me this week was sustainability. The plan
presented to the Public Safety Committee yesterday was not sustainable over a
long period of time and it would put a tremendous strain on our police force.
It is clear to me that we need a study on staffing models, internal
communications, response times and best practices. We are currently identifying
resources that can be allocated toward this study within the next few months
and I will make sure that the study includes input from our police officers.”
City Manager Gonzalez and Chief Brown are not available for
interviews today.
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