DALLAS — With Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson asking in a published letter why Chief Reneé Hall hasn't created a long-term violent crime reduction plan, criticism of the chief from police associations was swift.
"She's had two years," said George Aranda, president of the National Latino Law Enforcement Organization. "What can we do in two weeks that hasn't been done in two years?"
But Friday morning, leaders in the black community, along with the Black Police Association, spoke out to publicly voice their support for the chief.
"If we are serious and not playing the politics of scapegoating, then let's get real and recognize this is not a Chief Hall problem. It's a Dallas problem," said Dr. Freddy Haynes III. "And Dallas as a city, as a community, must come together not to fix the blame but to fix the problems."
The group of community leaders, which included activists, pastors, and current and former police officers, said they believe the chief is being unfairly blamed for inheriting a police department hundreds of officers short. The said Hall has been unfairly blamed for also inheriting socio-economic problems that they say you can't patrol or arrest your way out of.
"It's important for us to stand with this woman who is doing a phenomenal job with the resources that she has," said Thomas Muhammad, of the National Black United Front.
"The very people that are coming out to support Chief Hall, these are the people who live in those areas where most of the violent crime is occurring," said Terrance Hopkins, president of the Black Police Association of Dallas. "Now ain't that kind of odd?"
"We have an uptick in crime and there are those who want to blame the police chief," Hopkins said. "An uptick in crime is going to happen in every city in the United States of America at some point."
Hall's supporters agree that she should have a longterm crime reduction plan, one she's promised to present to the city council by the mayor's requested deadline on Jan 13. But they said they fear politics is at play.
"The politics of scapegoating. The politics of blaming," Haynes said. "Real leadership does not fix the blame, real leadership fixes problems. And so we are tired of everyone trying to fix the blame on Chief Hall."