Dallas crime.... Is it really that bad?? (Arlington, Plano: apartment complexes, rent)

[grindin]

Originally Posted by rb4browns

This is about the dumbest p**sing contest I have ever seen. Who cares who's hood spots have the most crime? Yes, Dallas has rough neighborhoods. Yes, so does L.A. on a much bigger scale. So what? This post sounds like some kid in McKinney with an old N.W.A. cd on his Ipod. I'm from L.A. In the tough areas of L.A. (is there anyone left in L.A. who says "South-Central"? I haven't met one in years) it is like every other bad neighborhood. Innocent people die from stray bullets shot by gang members. People get robbed and rolled by gang members. What is your point? Good for you. Oak Cliff is a very bad 'hood. Yay, Dallas wins. Whatever.

Not to mention the lopsided race war going on between Latinos and Blacks out there in LA. (The Hispanic gangs are targeting innocent blacks more and more rather than just rival black gangsters)


And I always thought Pleasant Grove (Not so Pleasant Grove) was worse than 'Da Cliff.

[rb4browns]

Originally Posted by grindin

Not to mention the lopsided race war going on between Latinos and Blacks out there in LA. (The Hispanic gangs are targeting innocent blacks more and more rather than just rival black gangsters)

Actually both Latino and Black gangs are targeting innocents in each others' neighborhoods in the WIlmington-Harbor District up off the 110 freeway. It's very sad.

[Aussietourist]

Hi everyone,

I live in a city called Brisbane which is on the east coast of Australia.

In May 2003 I travelled to Dallas Texas with an american friend whom lives in Indiana. My main purpose of going to Dallas was to walk Dealey Plaza and attend the 6th floor museum. These have been boyhood goals since I can remember!

I had an amazing time in Dallas and have very fond memories of the weather, city and the people. I felt very safe in the central business district as there were lots of people and tourist generally. I did find it strange how quickly the city emptied out after 6.30 pm. The streets became deserted and you sort of got a strange feeling about being there.

My pet hate about Dallas was the drivers! You people are crazy! Tailgating, speeding recklessly and going through red lights seems the order of the day in Dallas. I saw rollovers, spin outs, endless nose to tail accidents on your freeways.

About the only times I did feel scared was when we ended up in this downtown area where all the buildings and cars in the street were burnt out and there were these crazy people walking around. It was like a ghost town, nothing there but amazingly the traffic lights still worked and I stopped at a red light. I was an Australian out of his depth and scared to death! I was also nervous on Malcom X Boulevard when again I was at a red light and this big pimp mobile pulled up beside us and naturally I looked at the car when all of a sudden all these black faces came out of the windows and were just staring at me.... looked like the boyz from the hood movie.

However as I said I generally had a most enjoyable and memorable time in your great city and would love to come back and take my current girlfriend to see Dallas and the rest of the USA. Many Australians think americans to be rude and their cities dangerous, I always point out that I found americans to be extremely polite and friendly and their cities safe if you use common sense and speak to the locals about safe spots.

[lh_newbie]

Originally Posted by Aussietourist

However as I said I generally had a most enjoyable and memorable time in your great city and would love to come back and take my current girlfriend to see Dallas and the rest of the USA. Many Australians think americans to be rude and their cities dangerous, I always point out that I found americans to be extremely polite and friendly and their cities safe if you use common sense and speak to the locals about safe spots.

I'm glad you had an enjoyable time - and let me be the first to thank you for helping to dispel the rude mislabel. You're sooooo right about the drivers - they're CRAZY! My wife and I both take surface streets to work to avoid the crazies on the highways.

With all the construction downtown, you should come back in 5-10 years. I'd be willing to bet two things... (1) you won't recognize the place and (2) the after work desertion of downtown will be gone.

Brian

[ex-cop]

I've enjoyed reading everyone's post. All of you are right in one way or another. Dallas has many great attributes that make it hard to imagine that it is so bad in some areas. I'm partly writing in defense to poster "Kukoc" who made some very accurate points. He or she obviously has done their homework because he was right on when discussing some of the problems the city of Dallas has. Let me explain.

As an ex-officer in the violent crime units of some of the most troubled cities, I have experienced alot over my 20 year career. I started my rookie career in Los Angeles (87-94). At this time LA was probably the worst it has ever been. Cocaine trafficing was at an all time high and the gang wars were out of control. Being a rookie in the violent crimes unit I saw about everything. Nine times out of ten we were working crimes in South Central or East LA. On the avarage day we'd work 1-2 crime scenes. On a busy one maybe 3-4. I don't think I can even remember a time a violent crime was reported outside these areas. The officers in LA were some of the best I've ever worked with. They were truly dedicated to their work and cleaning up the troubled areas of the city.

About the time we were really starting to see some progress in LA, I was off to another troubled city. This time the east coast, and during my short stay in New York (94-96) their overall crime was by far the worst in the country. Although gang violence was not a major problem here about every other crime was and not to mention widespread. Where as in LA violent crime for the most part was isolated to certain areas. On the average day in NYC we'd work 2-3 crime scenes and those could be anywhere from Manhattan all the way to the Five Buroughs and everywhere in between. Another difference seemed to be how you could be in a very decent neighborhood say in Brooklyn, walk 4-5 blocks and be in the slums. Thats how thin the lines were in NYC. The officers here like LA were great, dedicated to serve and protect and took their jobs very seriously.

Again as things seemed to be getting better, off I was. This time the midwest. I had heard rumors that the gangs on the westside of Chicago literally owned that side of the city, but at the time I did not think much of it, besides I had worked in LA gang capital of the world. Man, did I ever underestimate this rumor. The westside of Chicago was similar to a war zone. You talk about rough areas this was the roughest I had ever seen by far. Project-ghettos being held hostage by some of the most violent gang activity anywhere. When I started here in 96 the homicide rate was about 5 times the national average. When I left in 99 that rate was about half that. However, this was no means an easy task and I credit all the brave officers who put their lifes on the line and the ones who died for what at that time seemed like a no-win situation.

Well, about this time in my career I was thinking about my long term future. I had a wife and two kids and Chicago was just a little too cold for me. I got a call from (at that time seemed like the most unlikely of places) the crimes unit in Dallas. They wanted someone who had experience and could turn things around in a hurry. I thought to myself what a dream job. Good climate, low cost of living, affordable housing, what was not to like. After working in LA, NYC, and Chicago this would be a piece of cake. WRONG! After working for about six months I started wondering if perhaps I had made the worst mistake of my life. Dallas had led the nation in overall crime for the last two years or so but I had no idea how bad it was. I mean after all its Dallas, Texas! On an average work day here we did 4-5 crime scenes. These would range anywhere from gang-related homicides to domestic-realted homicides, drug-related homicides to home-invasion homicides, and the list goes on and on. In all my experience throughout the years I had never seen a city that had such a wide range of violent crimes. Some of the neighborhoods here are some of the worst I have ever seen. I knew coming in that drugs would be a big problem here being so close to Mexico, but I did not know to what extent. In 2001 police recovered nearly 1.5 million dollars worth of cocaine from an Oak Cliff residence. In 2003 they recovered 3 million dollars worth of heroin from a Pleasant Grove residence along with a stock pile of guns and amo that would have made the military jealous. Drug-related homicides topped the list here with gang-related homicides coming in at a close second. Most of the violent crimes here are isolated to the southern sectors of the city, however, there is a disturbing trend that suggests that crime in the northern sector is becoming more and more violent. I attributted the problems here to a number of things. Lack of police force in the city, and low pay which results in low recruitment. A poorly ran department full of excuse after excuse. I never worked with so many crooked,back-stabbing people in my life. The general attitude here is that it's just a job rather than a committment to the city for which they are supposed to be protecting and serving. Yeah it's a joke! Places that used to be safe in the city are no longer safe, downtown is dreadful, and the sad thing is the city of Dallas does not seem to care at all. What really urks me is the fact that Dallas is one of the wealthiest cities in the nation, however , when it comes to how to allocate funds they have no clue at all.

I retired from the force last summer of 2007. I hope that in the eight years I was here that I made some impact and that some things improved. If not for the lack of help perhaps this would have been attainable. I know percentage wise it's supposed to be getting better but this is the departments way of making the public happy. Believe me it has happen before and probably will continue to happen.

On a better note, I'm in no way trying to discouarge people from giving Dallas a shot. It's a great place to raise a family, we've been very happy here. On the otherhand Dallas does have some issues. My biggest piece of advice is to stay away from anything to do with the police department.

[Lakewooder]

I am on another posting board where many people live downtown - they do not complain about any safety or crime issues. Perhaps you are disgruntled with the department and are taking it out on Dallas?

I grew up with nearly a dozen people who have been Dallas cops since the late 1970s, early 80s. None of them has quit or retired. I have really never even heard them say a discouraging word. It's their hometown and they are committed to curbing crime. Similarly, I know several prosecutors in the DAs office and several more firemen..haven't heard them saying such things, either...

[Grainraiser]

I know many cops on the Dallas force and they are trying to do the best job they can with what they have to work with. I lived in Dallas and Houston and I can't see one city is worse than the other. I know what areas to avoid and I know what areas are pretty safe. Every major city is going to have crime in it. There is simply no way around it. Just use some common sense and basic instincts and you will be find. Downtown has quite a few homeless people but serious crime no were near what it use to be. Bad areas always look just that "BAD".

[pirate_lafitte]

Originally Posted by MJay

I just saw a crime stats on wikipedia and Dallas crime seriously looks bad.... Check out those stats (I will compare Dallas with Detroit, Michigan, which is after Baltimore, Maryland the worst crime city in the US):

Detroit population: 900,932
Dallas population: 1,230,303

Burglaries in Detroit: 15,304
Burglaries in Dallas: 22,363

Theft in Detroit: 17,383
Theft in Dallas: 52,315

Vehicle theft in Detroit: 21,285
Vehicle theft in Dallas: 14,277

Arson in Detroit: 936
Arson in Dallas: 986

Total property crime in Detroit: 53,972
Total property crime in Dallas: 88,955

Rape in Detroit: 589
Rape in Dallas: 562

Robbery in Detroit: 6,820
Robbery in Dallas: 6,882

Assaults in Detroit: 13,447
Assaults in Dallas: 7,783

Murders in Detroit: 354
Murders in Dallas: 202

I know that Dallas is a bit bigger, but those crime stats are a little bit scary...

For 2006:

Detroit population: 871,121
Dallas population: 1,232,940

Burglaries in Detroit: 18,134
Burglaries in Dallas: 21,653

Theft in Detroit: 21,287
Theft in Dallas: 50,009

Vehicle theft in Detroit: 22,917
Vehicle theft in Dallas: 13,930

Arson in Detroit: 859
Arson in Dallas: 1,058

Total property crime in Detroit: ??
Total property crime in Dallas: ??

Rape in Detroit: 593
Rape in Dallas: 665

Robbery in Detroit: 7,240
Robbery in Dallas: 6,914

Assaults in Detroit: 13,143
Assaults in Dallas: 7,292

Murders in Detroit: 418
Murders in Dallas: 187

Dallas crime index:726
Detroit crime index:1138

[rb4browns]

Ex-Cop Wrote:I've enjoyed reading everyone's post. All of you are right in one way or another. Dallas has many great attributes that make it hard to imagine that it is so bad in some areas. I'm partly writing in defense to poster "Kukoc" who made some very accurate points. He or she obviously has done their homework because he was right on when discussing some of the problems the city of Dallas has. Let me explain.

This is a nice story but it sounds like fiction to me.

As an ex-officer in the violent crime units of some of the most troubled cities, I have experienced alot over my 20 year career. I started my rookie career in Los Angeles (87-94). At this time LA was probably the worst it has ever been. Cocaine trafficing was at an all time high and the gang wars were out of control. Being a rookie in the violent crimes unit I saw about everything. Nine times out of ten we were working crimes in South Central or East LA. On the avarage day we'd work 1-2 crime scenes. On a busy one maybe 3-4. I don't think I can even remember a time a violent crime was reported outside these areas. The officers in LA were some of the best I've ever worked with. They were truly dedicated to their work and cleaning up the troubled areas of the city.

L.A. is a big city and the LAPD divides the city up in to bureaus and areas or precincts. There is no "violent crimes unit" and a cop working in South L.A. is not going to be then in East L.A. And anyone who thinks violents crimes only happens in those parts of town obviously does not know L.A. or its neighborhoods, let alone have been a cop there. Palms, Mar Vista, Venice, the list is long of rough L.A. neighborhoods not in "South Central" or East L.A.

About the time we were really starting to see some progress in LA, I was off to another troubled city. This time the east coast, and during my short stay in New York (94-96) their overall crime was by far the worst in the country. Although gang violence was not a major problem here about every other crime was and not to mention widespread. Where as in LA violent crime for the most part was isolated to certain areas. On the average day in NYC we'd work 2-3 crime scenes and those could be anywhere from Manhattan all the way to the Five Buroughs and everywhere in between. Another difference seemed to be how you could be in a very decent neighborhood say in Brooklyn, walk 4-5 blocks and be in the slums. Thats how thin the lines were in NYC. The officers here like LA were great, dedicated to serve and protect and took their jobs very seriously.

In the mid-1990's NYC saw a dramatic drop in crime. This was the Giuliani era and a time when NYC was at its safest. Even the NY Times agrees. 1996 Data Show Crime Rates Are Still Falling in New York - New York Times. Again, the idea of a cop who would drive around all five boroughs of NYC (ehem, Manhattan is one of those boroughs...) is silly.

Again as things seemed to be getting better, off I was. This time the midwest. I had heard rumors that the gangs on the westside of Chicago literally owned that side of the city, but at the time I did not think much of it, besides I had worked in LA gang capital of the world. Man, did I ever underestimate this rumor. The westside of Chicago was similar to a war zone. You talk about rough areas this was the roughest I had ever seen by far. Project-ghettos being held hostage by some of the most violent gang activity anywhere. When I started here in 96 the homicide rate was about 5 times the national average. When I left in 99 that rate was about half that. However, this was no means an easy task and I credit all the brave officers who put their lifes on the line and the ones who died for what at that time seemed like a no-win situation.

I've never spent much time in Chicago, but in 1996 there were 789 homicides and in 1999 there were 641 homicides. A drop but hardly a 50% drop. Closer to 20%. This poster is pretty much just making things up.

Well, about this time in my career I was thinking about my long term future. I had a wife and two kids and Chicago was just a little too cold for me. I got a call from (at that time seemed like the most unlikely of places) the crimes unit in Dallas. They wanted someone who had experience and could turn things around in a hurry. I thought to myself what a dream job. Good climate, low cost of living, affordable housing, what was not to like. After working in LA, NYC, and Chicago this would be a piece of cake. WRONG! After working for about six months I started wondering if perhaps I had made the worst mistake of my life. Dallas had led the nation in overall crime for the last two years or so but I had no idea how bad it was. I mean after all its Dallas, Texas! On an average work day here we did 4-5 crime scenes. These would range anywhere from gang-related homicides to domestic-realted homicides, drug-related homicides to home-invasion homicides, and the list goes on and on. In all my experience throughout the years I had never seen a city that had such a wide range of violent crimes. Some of the neighborhoods here are some of the worst I have ever seen. I knew coming in that drugs would be a big problem here being so close to Mexico, but I did not know to what extent. In 2001 police recovered nearly 1.5 million dollars worth of cocaine from an Oak Cliff residence. In 2003 they recovered 3 million dollars worth of heroin from a Pleasant Grove residence along with a stock pile of guns and amo that would have made the military jealous. Drug-related homicides topped the list here with gang-related homicides coming in at a close second. Most of the violent crimes here are isolated to the southern sectors of the city, however, there is a disturbing trend that suggests that crime in the northern sector is becoming more and more violent. I attributted the problems here to a number of things. Lack of police force in the city, and low pay which results in low recruitment. A poorly ran department full of excuse after excuse. I never worked with so many crooked,back-stabbing people in my life. The general attitude here is that it's just a job rather than a committment to the city for which they are supposed to be protecting and serving. Yeah it's a joke! Places that used to be safe in the city are no longer safe, downtown is dreadful, and the sad thing is the city of Dallas does not seem to care at all. What really urks me is the fact that Dallas is one of the wealthiest cities in the nation, however , when it comes to how to allocate funds they have no clue at all.

I retired from the force last summer of 2007. I hope that in the eight years I was here that I made some impact and that some things improved. If not for the lack of help perhaps this would have been attainable. I know percentage wise it's supposed to be getting better but this is the departments way of making the public happy. Believe me it has happen before and probably will continue to happen.

On a better note, I'm in no way trying to discouarge people from giving Dallas a shot. It's a great place to raise a family, we've been very happy here. On the otherhand Dallas does have some issues. My biggest piece of advice is to stay away from anything to do with the police department.

I'm not sure why this poster decided to spin this tale, but it's a shame that he impunes the Dallas PD and the brave men and women of the DPD who are working hard to keep us safe.

[lil' yellow]

I was born and raised in New Orleans, 3rd Ward, Calliope Projects. In the late 1990s and early 2000s the N.O. was considered the murder capital of the world. While there are some bad spots in the NO the 3rd Ward and uptown are porbably the worst. Down town is very safe as well as most of the rest of the city. I think part of the reason New Orleans got such a bad rep. was cause, for one its a small city, and crime always seems worse in a small city. Realality is most that crime most likely took place in my backyard along with the rest of uptown. New Orleans as a "whole" probbably one of the safest cities. I moved to Dallas as a result of KATRINA as did most of the NO. I now live with a family friend in South Dallas, Dixon Circle to be exact. Since I have been here it has been hell. I have a 2 year old daughter and I fear for her life as well as mine. In the short time ive been here five people have been shot on our street and there are gunshots every night. It was not even this bad in uptown NO. Gangs control the neighborhood and good luck getting the COPS out here. Thats one problem New Orleans never had there were cops everywhere out there including the bad neighborhoods. I work downtown and often get off around 7 and wait for the bus. Is it just me or is the city a ghost town? Even on the busy days its dead. Downtown New Orleans was busy all the time people everywhere. Maybe this is due to the crime around here I don't know, but I'm starting to get the feeling that Dallas is not as safe as I thought it would be. About 2 months ago I witnessed a man being robbed at gunpoint on 1st Avenue near Fair Park. In the short time I've been here its been rough. I've asked around and the general census is that I'm in one of the worst spots I could be. Everyone tells me to either go to the North Side of towm or to the suburbs. Couple of people I work with have suggested Mesquite, Irving, Garland, Plano, ETC. I don't make much money so that is an issue, but as soon as I do make enough to get out of this hell hole I am! My baby girl is everything to me and I'm not about to let something happen to her. Anybody out there have any suggestions. I would so greatly appreciate it.