Downtown Dallas, Inc., law enforcement discuss new summer safety plan

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – Leaders from Downtown Dallas, Inc. have been joined by the Dallas Police Department and Dallas Area Rapid Transit Police Department officers to discuss the group’s new Public Safety Summer Operations Plan. 

“Our city center remains one of the safest Downtowns in the country and we intend to keep it that way,” stated Jennifer Scripps, DDI President & CEO. “The majority of our $10 million annual budget is dedicated to our clean and safe initiatives, but we do not do it alone. It takes strong partnerships with the Dallas Police Department, the DART Police Department, and the eyes and ears of our residents, workers, and visitors.”

The initiative contains new partnerships and DDI staffing, in addition to a renewed push for individuals who dwell in downtown, staff and guests to make use of their dispatch line (214-741-1151) to report non-emergency considerations. 

They additionally talked about their See Say Now app, which individuals can use to achieve out for assist. 

Among the important thing tenets of the 2022 plan:

• The enlargement of DDI’s progressive “relate and refer” homeless outreach program to incorporate partnership with the DART Police Department. DART officers at the moment are embedded with two DDI Homeless Outreach groups to have interaction and assist individuals experiencing homelessness Downtown. Dallas law enforcement officials will proceed to be embedded with separate DDI Homeless Outreach groups, as they’ve been for greater than 18 months.
• Ongoing collaboration with the City of Dallas Office of Homeless Solutions to proceed rehousing individuals experiencing homelessness Downtown. In 2021, DDI contributed $500,000 to assist the Dallas Real Time Rapid Rehousing Initiative, which started housing individuals experiencing homelessness Downtown earlier this yr.
• The relaunch of the DDI Ambassador place, public-facing customer-service targeted workers charged with partaking guests and residents of Downtown about one of the best eating places, retail, leisure spots, and many others., whereas additionally specializing in holding Downtown clear and protected.
• The first full summer of operations out of DDI’s new headquarters on the bottom flooring of The National constructing adjoining to the DART Akard Station, a extra central location for strategic deployment. This is the primary time in DDI historical past that our area operations groups and our company workers are positioned on the similar headquarters, serving to to streamline our operations and enhance communications.
• A communications and advertising and marketing marketing campaign pushing the DDI “SEE SAY NOW” iPhone and Android app and dispatch quantity (214.741.1151) for reporting non-emergency high quality of life considerations that don’t require an instantaneous police response.
• Increased on-duty Dallas police park checks and reminders of City of Dallas Park guidelines.
• Ongoing DDI employees “code walks” to establish and talk code violations to City of Dallas.
• Continued activations and occasions all through the summer at Downtown parks managed by DDI, together with Main Street Garden, Pegasus Plaza, West End Square, Pacific Plaza, and our latest and largest park, Carpenter Park.

The initiative is being led by DDI Vice President of Public Safety & Field Operations Albert Sanchez, a former 10-year veteran of the Dallas Police Department who joined DDI in 2019 and continues to function a Dallas police reserve officer.

“We now have the best overall DDI Field Operations leadership team in the history of this organization, including decades of experience in security, homeless outreach, and customer service,” Sanchez stated. “We are constantly meeting and assessing intelligence to better inform our strategies to keep the people of Downtown safe and our parks, streets, and sidewalks clean and welcoming. That intelligence comes in part from the people who live, work, and visit Downtown making sure to call us at 214-741-1151 or download and use our See Say Now app to report non-emergency quality of life concerns.”

DDI’s Field Operations staff members stated they most ceaselessly reply to calls and app requests regarding sleeping in public, smoking in parks, panhandling, and litter, graffiti, and sticker removing.

“The top priority of the men and women of the Dallas Police Department is keeping our city safe. Partnerships with organizations like Downtown Dallas, Inc. are paramount in our public safety mission. We are committed to maintaining a great relationship with the teams who make up DDI’s Security, Clean, and Homeless Outreach. Together, we work towards keeping our city clean and safer for those who live, work and visit Dallas.” stated Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia. 

Garcia visited final week with the DDI Field Operations groups to thank them for his or her collaboration together with his officers, telling them, “You’re part of our team,” the chief stated. “We couldn’t do it without you, so thank you for the assistance you give us and the residents of Dallas and the visitors to the city of Dallas.”‘

The operation will run throughout the Downtown Improvement District (DID), bounded by I-345 on the east, I-30 on the south, North Stemmons Freeway on the west and Woodall Rodgers Freeway on the north. DDI additionally stays engaged with key stakeholders in surrounding neighborhoods on issues of public safety

“The Dallas Area Rapid Transit Police Department is committed to working with partners across our 13-city service area to keep our riders safe,” stated DART Police Lt. Donovan Collins, commander of Central Business District. “We recognize that criminalizing homelessness is counterproductive, which is why we are so excited to embark on this new partnership with DDI.”

DDI works carefully with the City of Dallas, together with the Dallas Police Department, and with DART and its police. DDI personnel share intelligence with DPD and DART law enforcement officials and supervisors, typically offering key information to assist resolve crimes. Leadership of these organizations additionally meet often to coordinate methods.