Dallas Police Department (DPD) response times are on the rise, putting city residents at risk and spotlighting the department’s serious staffing shortage.
According to the City of Dallas Open Data response time analytics dashboard, response times across most priority designations appear to be ticking up since the beginning of 2023.
Priority designations, numbering 1-4, are used by DPD dispatchers to inform responding officers of the gravity and urgency of a call, with Priority 1 (P1) calls signaling serious emergencies like active shooters and in-progress robberies.
At the other end of the spectrum are Priority 4 (P4) calls, which are considered “non-critical” and include loud music disturbances, blocked streets, and reports of panhandling.
The average response times for the four designations in 2022 were: 9.6 minutes (P1), 64 minutes (P2), 370.2 minutes (P3), and 422.6 (P4).
So far in 2023, DPD has been clocking on average 9.6 minutes (P1), 77.5 minutes (P2), 400.8 minutes (P3), and 452.3 minutes (P4).
While Priority 1 calls are on pace with last year, the average response time is still over the goal listed on the dashboard, which is eight minutes or less.
Response times for the other call designations are all trending up by as much as half an hour, leaving some Dallas residents feeling disaffected.
The Dallas Express spoke with Kris Manning, owner of the South Dallas barbecue joint Smokey Joe’s BBQ, who shared his recent experiences calling the police. He claims he has called them twice in the last couple of months, and no officers ever showed up. His business is located in District 3, represented by two-time Crime Boss winner City Councilman Casey Thomas.
“A drunk driver, she ran into my patio, and so we’ve had that happen, and then we’ve called the police to get a gentleman escorted [off the property] because he was on some drugs, and that’s another officer that didn’t show up,” Manning told The Dallas Express.
Jake Colglazier, executive director of Keep Dallas Safe, previously claimed that DPD officers were not making arrests for incidents they did not believe would be prosecuted by District Attorney John Creuzot, who has been accused of being soft on crime by detractors.
It is unclear whether this alleged malpractice extends beyond arrests to call responses as well.
Another troubling aspect of the City’s response time data is the average time it takes to respond to a call about random gunfire.
Calls about gunfire are designated Priority 3 when the caller cannot provide any additional information, like a victim or potential perpetrator. Priority 3 calls have a response time goal of 30 minutes or less. So far in 2023, response times to calls reporting random gunfire are averaging 272.1 minutes, ticking up from 2022’s average of 267.6 minutes.
The Dallas Express previously reported on DPD’s lengthy response times last summer, highlighting how staffing shortages at the department have left officers spread thin across the city.
Additionally, both DPD and Dallas Fire-Rescue endured sporadic vehicle shortages during 2022, exacerbating response times, as reported by The Dallas Express.
When asked if some of the issues that led to DPD’s vehicle shortage last summer had been resolved, a DPD spokesperson claimed, “There is no shortage of vehicles.”
A request for comment was also sent to the office of each Dallas City Council member, asking what they were doing to help staff up the DPD and get crime under control.
Unfortunately, no response was received by press time.
DPD refuses to enforce magistrates conditions of bond with emergency protection order, temporary protection order, stay away orders thus allowing a man with a violent history of family violence to do as he pleases. Every single condition of bond and protection orders were broken and best of all was being told just because someone has a warrant for family violence doesn’t mean they have to arrest him.
Hats off to the Dallas PD and the job they do. I cant imagine being a Dallas Policeman in this day an age.
I fear this city (which has turned blue) may be defunding this PD like some of the other large cities whose crime is out of control and getting worse. Why else are we suddenly experiencing crime on the rise and now response times taking longer???? If this is true, God help us. It doesn’t work in other cities and will not work here. Don’t ruin a good thing Dallas has always had.
I believe this is a deliberate design by our Mayor and City Council to build up citizen hatred and resentment toward our police. It plays right into the Biden regime’s plan to replace local police by a national police force. When obama blasted the police on a stage in 2016, it was quite obvious that this plan was set in motion several years ago and it gaining momentum.
The Dallas Police are professional, with the possible exception of its last few chiefs. We the citizens need to gather around our police and support them in this war that our city government has declared on them.
Dallas never defunded the police.
Dallas had the highest overall crime rate in the USA for three straight years in the early 00’s.
Dallas murder rate was higher in 2004 than 2022.
Lock, Take, Hide program started in 2001 due to the high amount of crime involving autos.
Crime is not new to Dallas. This is not a new trend.
Dallas never had a “good thing”. You just don’t follow local crime until someone makes it partisan.
Be better informed and less influenced.
Don’t tell me I need to be better informed, been here many years and see the decline. And if you think DA John Creuzot is doing a good job, that’s a laugh!! He’s too soft on crime and it’s killing DPD morale. Wouldn’t be a bit surprised if there’s a shortage of cops bc of him. Shortage=slow response, duh! No matter what city, I wouldn’t want to be a cop right now. Thank you Bidumb, BLM and others….that’s a fact!
Cmon man. Defund the police!!!!
It’s part of the plan to declare martial law and bring in outside enforcement. That seems to be the trend.
Absolutely. The trend if at the level of Washington, DC. They want to replace all local police with a national police force that is accountable only to the Executive Department of the US.
We have a Sheriffs Department, ,they can help the Dallas Police. Why can’t they work together. Ask Sheriff Brown what she is doing to help out.
She was VOTED in. Have you seen her helping?
We all need to get loud and call out the crooked DA, Creuzot!!!
He is a disciple of George Soros who is the single biggest threat to America!!!!
My son is GM of hotel in North Dallas. Police response times to 911 calls are 30-40 minutes if they come at all. Break ins, staff assaulted, cars being stolen, threats at gun point, druggies threatening guests. It’s beyond negligent. The crooked DA refuses to prosecute so police have no incentives to arrest.
Is it a motel or a run down hotel? Where is your son’s security, is it 5 star or a 1/2 star with dirt on it.
Something sounds a little shady about this. North Dallas motel with John’s. Don’t blame the police, get your son some peoples who need a job, Security.
Thank you Dallas Police Officers who have the the most Thankless Job in America. They use a brush to paint a picture of what others police are doing in other cities.
We all know where the Hotspots are. But the Mayor, DA and City Council let them get away with it
Remember May 6, 2023, VOTE these do nothing’s out. You remember they get a check and it’s more than the average citizen makes.. Let’s see who VOTE!