Community members praise new Deep Ellum safety plan
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - There's a new plan to address safety concerns in Deep Ellum following several high-profile incidents in the area.
"The perception piece is really big to us," said Adam Holden, Director of Public Safety for the Deep Ellum Foundation. "So the message we're sending now is that if you come to Deep Ellum and you're a bad actor, we're going to catch you."
The release of the Community Safety Plan comes as stakeholders gather for an annual luncheon to lavish appreciation on the first responders so critical to the plan's success and as the area known as the "Granddaddy" of Dallas party spots expands its eclectic economy.
"We have candle shops, shoe cleaning shops, we have apparel, we have an array of businesses," shared Lilly Benitez, owner of Blade Craft Barber Academy in Deep Ellum. Academy students were on hand for the Deep Ellum First Responders Luncheon offering free shaves, facials, and pampering as a show of appreciation, while also echoing the message that safety matters to everyone.
"Our family members get scared [of news reports of shootings and crime]," explained Benitez, "and it's such a minute ratio of what's going on, on a day-to-day basis."
Holden says strategies like closing off some streets on Friday and Saturday nights is already making the area safer for pedestrians. The new Community Safety Plan also includes additional cameras and a 24-hour command center staffed with both private security and Dallas police.
"It is very important that we get it right," said Dallas police Deputy Chief Israel Herrera, Jr.
Deputy Chief Herrera's Central Patrol Division includes Deep Ellum. "I am extremely encouraged by it. We sat down with a number of our stakeholders, I walked these streets talking to these businesses, and got their feedback. We listened to our officers... everybody had some input in this plan. Is it perfect? I hope so. If not, we'll go back to the drawing board and make those adjustments."
Herrera says the goal is to make Deep Ellum safe, fun and a frequent destination. But after sunset, he says it is a community geared toward adult entertainment. So increased enforcement of the city's juvenile curfew is also part of the plan going forward.
"My message for parents of young teenagers is.. nothing good is going to happen down here for them. The hanging around and loitering. They can find trouble if they're looking for it. We want teenagers to find something else to do."