Law enforcement is now closer to the streets and the community they serve thanks to the opening of a new public safety hub in the center of Uptown Dallas.
According to officials, the headquarters may significantly improve reaction times and reduce crime.
The Dallas Police Department and Uptown Dallas Inc. collaborated to create the Uptown Safety Headquarters, which is situated on McKinney Avenue. It is ideally situated in a busy part of the city.
“On any given weekday, as many as 100,000 people pass through our district,” Noelle LeVeaux, the Interim Executive Director of Uptown Dallas Inc. stated. “This safety HQ is a proactive investment in visibility, coordination and public safety, not only for those who live here, but for anyone who interacts with Uptown every day.”
Additional patrols are already funded by Uptown Dallas Inc. to support law enforcement during periods of elevated criminal activity. The area will now serve as an operations base for those patrols, Dallas police, and private security from surrounding apartment buildings.
The headquarters will be utilized for a variety of purposes, according to Assistant Dallas Police Chief Mark Villareal.
“It’s a place where officers can come, relax, do reports, have meetings, and use technology to gather intelligence that makes us much more efficient,” he stated.
Although they applaud the extra security, some Uptown residents claimed they already feel somewhat safe in the neighborhood.
“I know the community and there’s policemen everywhere,” Lionell McConnell, who lives nearby stated. “It makes me feel safe when I come down here… go to the Starbucks to do some work or things like that.”
Officials believe the facility should be completely operating by July 1st, although the space is still being equipped. Adding a camera system and dispatcher is part of their long-term plan. Additionally, companies would have the option to provide authorities access to their private security cameras.
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“It brings us closer to the community, gets us in walking distance to everything,” Chief Daniel Comeaux stated.
Over the previous month, Dallas police say that response times for Priority One calls have decreased by 8%, while response times for Priority Two calls have decreased by 3%. They intend to build on those achievements now that the new headquarters is operational.
“If we continue to do collaborations like this in places like this, I think it will drive down crime even more,” Comeaux stated.
