A historic photo of pioneers making their way down what is now known as Preston Road. (From the collections of the Texas/Dallas history and Archives Division, Dallas Public Library.)

A historic photo of pioneers making their way down what is now known as Preston Road. (From the collections of the Texas/Dallas history and Archives Division, Dallas Public Library.)

It’s 1941 and Preston Hollow is its own town, separate from the City of Dallas. Based on the number of recorded crimes, one could say Preston Hollow has gotten marginally safer over the years, although speeding on Northwest Highway remains the area’s most common offense. 

According to town documents in 1941, police protection was something residents got on a subscription basis, at a cost of either $2.50 a month or $25 a year. For many years, the town had but one policeman on its force, who worked at night leaving the neighborhood largely unprotected during daylight hours. 

“Additional patrolmen will be added to the force as soon as enough subscriptions are obtained,” a letter from 28-year-old town secretary A.C. Raines, Jr., noted at the time. 

In 1941, the area saw more crime than we see today. Between March 1 and Aug. 9, the town police got reports of 19 burglaries, 19 thefts, 15 prowler complaints, two car thefts, three fights, five complaints on loose livestock, six reports on loose cats and dogs, two missing person reports, two vagrancy complaints and 12 other calls. But that pales in comparison to the 252 traffic citations handed out in the same period of time — which works out to 1.5 tickets issued every day. 

“Speeding, particularly on Northwest Highway and Preston Road, is a serious problem and we are prosecuting in our own corporation court those who insist on exceeding the state speed limit of 45 mph,” Herbert C. Otis, secretary of the town council, wrote in an undated letter featured in the book “Preston Hollow” by Eva Potter Morgan. (Fun fact: She’s the daughter of Henry Potter, whose Potter Art Metal Studio made many of the architectural elements — balconies,  fire screens and gates — that adorn some of Preston Hollow’s most historic homes). 

It should be noted that good police work meant the bulk of those crimes, including 11 burglaries, 14 thefts and both car thefts, were solved, with the criminals brought to justice. 

While Preston Hollow joined the City of Dallas in 1945, it’s good to see some things stay the same. Thankfully, we have fewer loose livestock complaints in our neighborhood, speeders on Northwest and Preston Road remain a regular problem.