I wish to thank the men and women of the Dallas Police Department for their superior dedication and outstanding service to the citizens of Dallas by reducing crime for the eleventh consecutive year. Preliminary numbers for 2014 show a 10.69% decrease in overall crime from 2013 and a 53.6% reduction in overall crime from 2004 to 2014. The strategies employed by the department to achieve this goal would not have been possible without the commitment and collective efforts of our sworn and civilian employees.

As society changes our department’s strategies have evolved with a renewed focus on community policing, accountability, and transparency. Patrol officers work diligently to simultaneously respond to calls for service, proactively patrol high crime areas, and make the necessary arrests to improve public safety in our city. Detectives work tirelessly, in conjunction with patrol officers and prosecutors, to thoroughly investigate cases. Sworn and civilian personnel continue to support key core operations of the department and provide assistance to officers and detectives on the main stage, starting at the first call to the final day in court.

Community Engagement programs such as Chief on the Beat, Coffee with Cops, and Neighborhood Police Officers are strengthening relationships within the community, and empowering citizens to be proactive. The expanding Youth Outreach Program has been a successful tool for crime diversion and character building in the youths of Dallas. The incorporation of social media in daily operations has started to pay dividends. Various social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and the Dallas Beat Blog, have allowed for transparency and quicker communications with the public. These sites play a key role in our efforts to provide citizens with first-hand information on current events, and create a virtual platform to share information related to critical missing persons and identifying suspects.

Technology enhancements have successfully aided police officers in deterring both violent and property crimes, locate stolen vehicles and suspects with active warrants, and catch auto thieves in the act. Specialized detectives have successfully targeted organized retail theft rings and recovered stolen property. The Narcotics Knock-and-Talk Task Force has unveiled numerous cases of drug-related property crimes. The METRO Task Force has successfully targeted and apprehended key individuals responsible for violent crimes.

The Dallas Police Department’s success also relies on the strong support of the Mayor, City Councilmembers, the City Manager’s Office, and the citizens of Dallas. The overwhelming public support has allowed for increased personnel and resources to combat crime. The results are evident in the numbers for 2014: a 49.1% reduction in murders since 2004 makes this the second lowest murder rate in Dallas history, and a 54.0% reduction in property crimes and 50.8% reduction in violent crimes since 2004. Dallas has led the country in total crime reduction from 2004 to 2014 among major cities in the United States as well as in Texas.

Although the contributing factors of the crime reduction can be relative and subjective, we can all agree that whatever they may be, they’re working well. The joint effort by everyone in this city to make public safety a priority has been the greatest contributing factor to Dallas experiencing eleven consecutive years of overall crime reduction.

Thank you again for your efforts and support in helping us make Dallas safer.

~Chief David O. Brown