Violent crime is down in Dallas, but police response times are up

Yes, but: Calls to police have increased, and officer response times have slowed since last year.

• It takes officers an average of 8.7 minutes to respond to 911 calls compared to 7.8 minutes last year.

By the numbers: The total number of violent crimes — including murders, aggravated assaults and robbery — have decreased 2% compared to this time last year.

• Total crime, including property crimes, has increased by 1% year-over-year. There have been 491 more crimes reported through Wednesday compared to the same time period in 2021.
• There have been 13 more murders and non-negligent homicides tallied so far this year compared to last.

What they're saying: The police chief said the department is stepping up its recruitment efforts to speed up response times and staff his crime prevention efforts.

• Garcia said he is focused on implementing his crime prevention plans, not comparing years.
• "We are not concentrating on 2021. We are concentrating on 2022 and the years following," Garcia told the City Council during a recent briefing on crime.

What we're watching: Summer is usually when violent crime numbers tick up.