Dallas Murder Rate Up 50%, But Yearly Rate Could Be Lowest

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - When looking at the numbers, compared to the same time last year, the murder rate in Dallas is up more than 50-percent.

So far this year, there have been 30 murders in Dallas - compared to 19 last year.

Dallas police Chief David Brown said the numbers are skewed, because last February saw a 50-year low in the number of homicides. "We just want to look at things more in context for the year, than we want to look at snapshots," he said.

Many of the murders are related to domestic violence and drugs. Chief Brown said the department is re-doubling their efforts to crack down on the drug trade in the city and that there are now new policies in place for dealing with domestic violence calls.

Dallas 2012 Crime Summary

While presenting the crime report to the Public Safety Committee of the City Council today, Chief Brown urged them to consider the big picture. "If you look at 30 murders in a year… if we continue that trend with 10 murders a month, that would be the lowest on record," he explained. "So, we don't want to take it out of context and just look at a number and not understand what the trending is or the historical perspective."

Saying that even 30 murders were too many, Brown emphasized that the Dallas Police Department considers the statistics very important. "But we want to make sure we keep it in context for the year," he said.

In:
• Dallas Police Department
• Homicide
• Murder
• Domestic Violence