Off-duty Dallas officers provide Oak Cliff neighborhood with peace of mind during July 4th celebrations
DALLAS (CBSNewsTexas.com) — In Dallas' Marsalis Park neighborhood, the post-Fourth of July celebration continues mainly because of the revelry the Oak Cliff community managed to avoid Tuesday.
"It was fantastic...we are very, very pleased," said Ola Allen, the president of Marsalis Park's homeowner association. Her neighborhood, full of mainly seniors, enjoyed a safe and mostly silent Independence Day.
The HOA handed out fliers explaining the situation and the plan. Then, homeowners chipped in to hire off-duty Dallas police officers to patrol their neighborhood streets and stay on the lookout for illegal fireworks and anyone firing guns.
"We did not hear not one random gunfire!" Allen exclaimed.
She said the neighborhood had one officer in a marked car and another in a non-maked car—each providing residents with peace of mind that was worth every penny.
Last Fourth of July, Allen shared that some seniors were so fearful they checked into hotels or stayed with family.
"It is crazy with the fireworks and gunshots," homeowner Myrtis Lacy said. "I get as close to the floor as I can, and surround myself in case something comes through the roof."
The only concern this year, Allen says, is a nearby shopping center. "I drove down there. It was out of order...fireworks were everywhere. I didn't see any guns, but there were more than a hundred cars. But the officers we hired here couldn't go there."
Still, Marsalis Park's success is already getting noticed by other Dallas neighborhoods. And along with fielding calls from grateful homeowners, Allen is also hearing from other communities who want to know more.
"The Dallas Police department does not have staff...they don't have the resources to just stay here on our streets like our officers did," shared Allen. "So we decided that, 'Hey, we got a plan.'"