Q. I’ve heard a rumor that Dallas will soon be hiring more cops. Is that true and, if so, how is it being funded?
For the second year in a row, the Dallas City Council has authorized the hiring of 50 additional police officers. These officers will be in addition to new officers needed to keep pace with attrition. Our problem with hiring additional officers continues to be attracting qualified applicants.
Our department has high standards that we want to maintain in order to ensure that the officers we put on the streets are worthy of the public’s trust and confidence. In addition, recruiting, hiring and training new officers is a significant investment by the city. We get a return on that investment only if the officer makes a career of working for the Dallas Police Department. If an officer leaves the department early into a career, we lose on that investment.
We can use your help in recruiting good, qualified applicants. If you know of someone who is interested in a law enforcement career, have them contact our personnel and development division at 214-671-4410.
Q. During the school year, my neighborhood has a real problem with people speeding down residential streets as they drop their kids off at school or pick them up. Is there anything I can do about that?
If you will contact your division station and report the area where you are seeing the violations, we will respond to take enforcement action. Our officers often patrol in the areas around schools during the times that school zones are in force, but we do not have enough officers to monitor them all. We can also request help from our traffic section to address problem areas. Please let us know where you are experiencing a problem, and we will make every attempt to resolve the situation.
