Below are the topics of discussion for the Public Safety Committee meeting for Monday, February 8, 2016.

Index Crime Report

The following crime statistics represent data from January 1 to January 31, 2016:

Dallas Police Department Traffic Contact Data Report 2015

In 2015, the Dallas Police Department responded to 606,541 calls for service and made 106,507 documented traffic stops. Out of those 713,048 combined contacts, the Internal Affairs Division received ten (10) complaints alleging “Racial” or “Other” profiling. This is a frequency of complaints of 0.001%. Seven (7) of those complaints resulted from discretionary traffic stops, two (2) complaints resulted from a call for service, one (1) complaint resulted from a pedestrian stop. 

Criminal Trespass Affidavit Program

The criminal trespass affidavit program allows officers, with written permission from property owners, to criminally trespass, remove, or arrest any violators found at the location without the representative’s permission. To participate in the program, the property owner must submit the affidavit to their local police substation and post “No Trespassing” signs throughout the property. 

Communications Operations Center

The Police Communications Services Sections consists of 911 operators, police dispatchers and police report representatives. The 911 operators prioritize the 911 calls based on information provided by the caller and then create a call for service. The police dispatcher then gives the calls out to the patrol officers who are working the streets.

Officers have been trained to slow down instead of rush into critical incidents for greater officer and citizen safety. Critical incident calls require more manpower, which in turn ties up more officers to handle each call. Response times can be improved with the addition of police resources available to respond to calls. 

K2 and Drug Paraphernalia Shops

K2 is a synthetic cannabinoid, which means it is made up of chemical compounds that mimic the effects of THC. K2 has dangerous side effects such as, hallucinogenic effects, elevated blood pressure, seizures, and brain damage. 

The public safety response regarding K2 has increased significantly downtown. The operation began the first week of January as a joint effort between Narcotics, Central Patrol, El Centro College, and the District Attorney’s Office. The Dallas Police Department made four felony K2 delivery arrests from January 26th to January 28th. The Dallas Police Department is also proposing a new ordinance that would define and regulate drug paraphernalia shops.