New crime figures for the city of Dallas show a sharp
increase in property crime, while violent crimes have seen
a slight drop.
Dallas police say that for the first nine months of 2003,
property crime – burglary, theft and auto theft – rose
about 5.6 percent. Meanwhile, violent crimes – murder,
rape, robbery and aggravated assault – declined 0.8
percent. According to FBI figures, Dallas has had the
highest crime rate for the last five years among U.S.
cities with populations of more than 1 million, and the new
figures show it likely that Dallas is on its way to
retaining that top spot.
“We still know that what is driving our figures is
nonviolent crime,” Assistant Dallas Police Chief Shirley
Gray told the Dallas Morning News. “We have to get
the message out – help us put a lid on these kinds of
crimes.”
The figures come just as the city is embarking on measure
measures they say are aimed at knocking Dallas off the top
of big-city crime rankings. Among those measures is Dallas
Police releasing their weekly “hot spot” crime maps on the
department Web site (HREF=http://www.dallaspolice.net>www.dallaspolice.net)
.
“Hopefully when people are able to see what is occurring
near them, it will make them more interested in doing
something about it,” Gray says.
