#4 Hometown Hard News!

Dallas Police Chief Renee Hall announces as of today (September 9^th) she will be resigning on November 10^th.

 

  I'm sure when people think of Dallas Texas they think of the beautiful skyline located in downtown or fancy food places to eat at, but I'm sure there is also a handful of people that only think of crime when they think of Dallas. Dallas can be considered one of the safest places in Texas but it can be surprisingly unsafe when you take a look at the crime rates. This is why the Dallas Police Department have tried to do their very best at keeping the city in order and crime-free. One lady in particular that has done an outstanding job of lowering crime rates and keeping the city under control would have to be Chief Renee Hall. She has had the burden and distinction of being the first woman and woman of color to serve as the police Chief of Dallas. She has served for the department since 2017. She is just the fourth person to hold full time in the last 20 years and was chosen for the job over strong internal candidates. Ever since hall became Chief of Dallas crime did initially drop in the first few months of her tenure. However, by the summer of 2018, crime was on the rise again and the city council begin questioning the Dallas Chief Department. Additionally, a year later, in the summer of 2019, the department’s crime statistics show an increase in crime rates. The crime rate went up 18% year-over-year with a 26% increase in batteries and a 21% increase in assaults. According to statistics, the only thing that went down was the sexual assaults. Out of all of the crimes and violent actions that took place Hall still led the department through several strategies including the deaths of officer Rogelio Santander, who was shot and killed by a suspended drunk driver while part of a motorcycle funeral escort for police officer Tyrone Deviance Andrews in July 2018.

 

                                                               

      Chief Renee Hall, faced support on the City Council stemming from the department’s handling of the public protest over African American policing. She stated that the City Council Members delivered a sharp critique of her leadership during the widespread protest in Dallas following George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police officers in May. After the George Floyd case there was a spiral of black protest and as a result of that she gave herself a C-minus when the council members asked her to assess her performance in handling the situation. The department felt as if there were problems in the way she handled operational plans, communications and maintaining a unified command structure. Even some council members found fault with the fact that the report emphasized protesters who targeted police with the violence but failed to discuss some of the harsh measures employed by officers against the demonstrators. Council members felt as if report did not fully disclose police use of tear gas and less-than-lethal munitions. Some members complained that the report cited injuries to 17 officers and two civilians but did not detail injuries to protesters.

        Everything that the City Council members stated only resulted into Chief Hall resigning. Several police chiefs before her around the country had already resigned or had been fired recent months due to the treatment of African Americans and Latinos during the public protest. Chief Halls final words were “I am proud that this department has not only coped with an unthinkable series of events, but we have also managed to implement critical reforms that were clearly needed in the Dallas Police Department to meet our 21st century policing goals.