Dallas City Council District 6 has the second-highest crime rate among Dallas’ 14 districts, runner-up only to District 2’s Deep Ellum and Old East Dallas.
Councilman Omar Narvaez, first elected in 2017, has deep family roots of more than 90 years in the area that covers Ledbetter, La Loma, and Bachman Lake. He rents his home and has advocated for a “Yes In My Backyard” attitude toward more mixed-income multifamily and single-family housing.
Narvaez was re-elected May 6 with 53.29 percent of the vote over three challengers. While it wouldn’t be characterized as a landslide, the councilman gets props for avoiding a runoff in a packed race.
Despite the low voter turnout, Dallasites sent a message that they’re pleased with the current leadership, as every eligible incumbent returned to the horseshoe. A June 10 runoff will decide the District 3 seat vacated by term-limited Casey Thomas. Zarin Gracey and Joe Tave are on the ballot.
Crime in District 6
Crime statistics have not been updated on the Dallas Police Department crime dashboard since city servers were compromised by a May 3 ransomware attack.
The latest figures show slight decreases in District 6 property crime (2.49 percent) and crimes against persons (3.64 percent).
The subset data, however, shows spikes in drug offenses (21 percent) and destruction of property (10.39 percent). District 6 homicides are up 45 percent from 11 last year to 16 in the current year to date.
District 6 assaults, sex offenses, and thefts have decreased since this time last year.
Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Narvaez did not respond to an interview request from daltxrealestate.com.
The city councilman did not get the sought-after endorsement from the Dallas Police Association Political Action Committee or the Dallas Fire Fighters Association during his re-election bid. Both PACs backed challenger Monica R. Alonzo.
The Dallas Police Department is facing a massive staffing shortage and a pension fund deficit. A majority of the Dallas City Council is supportive of Chief Eddie Garcia and his Violent Crime Reduction Plan.
“I don’t think everyone on council always agrees on everything, but we have a very unified support of public safety right now,” District 12 Councilwoman Cara Mendelsohn said during a May 8 meeting of the council’s Public Safety Committee.
The Violent Crime Reduction Plan calls for the short-term execution of “a hot spots policing strategy to significantly increase police visibility in violent crime hot spots and deter violent offenders through lawful enforcement and surveillance activities.”
“As a mid-term strategy, the DPD will coordinate and lead a place-based enforcement strategy to identify and target networks of crime-prone places to arrest offenders and address underlying environmental conditions conducive to crime. Long-term … the DPD will work with City leadership and other city and non-profit partners to address urban blight by ‘greening’ vacant lots, improving the appearance of vacant and neglected houses, and abating crime-conducive environmental conditions at multi-family housing complexes.”
Neighborhoods of West Dallas
Narvaez joined Dallas Fire-Rescue officials last week to celebrate the opening of the new Fire Station 58 on Water Mill Road, built to serve the Cypress Waters area in District 6.
“This fire station is an exciting addition to Cypress Waters that will bring peace of mind to our community,” Narvaez said in a press release about the new station. “When an emergency happens, Dallas Fire-Rescue will now have all the proper tools to get their important work done.”
While the West Dallas crime rate is one of the highest in the city, we could see a change in the data since new redistricting maps took effect earlier this month, more evenly distributing the city’s population among districts.
District 6 gained some new neighborhoods in the redistricting process, including portions of Elm Thicket/Northpark, previously represented by District 2, and Briarwood, previously represented by District 13. The district is now taking on a new set of challenges as some neighborhoods in the area have raised noise complaints about flights coming and going from Dallas Love Field.
The area contains a mix of apartments and single-family homes, and gentrification and displacement are hot topics in the district, which is 70 percent Hispanic.
Residents of Bachman Lake have faced unlawful evictions, prompting Narvaez and Dallas Eviction Advocacy Center founder Mark Melton to try to secure housing for those who are displaced and to fight the justice of the peace courts allowing the evictions to occur.
This is the 11th installment in our series on neighborhood crime by Dallas City Council district. Have you been the victim of a crime in a Dallas neighborhood or shopping center? Let us know about your experience at [email protected].
