DALLAS — A woman in South Dallas is demanding the city do more to deter crime after an armed burglar tried to break into her home.
When fear hits, seconds feel like hours.
“That’s the worst feeling on earth,” said a South Dallas resident. She asked to remain anonymous and that the street where she lives not be named for safety concerns.
The South Dallas woman noticed a suspicious man walking toward her home with a gun Oct. 11.
“I set off my alarms to call the police. I called 911,” said the resident.
However, that did not scare off the man. Instead, the man was seen on the resident’s home camera breaking into her backyard and trying to approach her door.
“He damaged a lot of my property. He shot his weapon in the air a few times,” said the resident.
All the while, she remained on the phone with police dispatch.
“The operator was like I need you to relax. Don’t get frustrated. I’m not frustrated. I’m terrified,” the resident said. “Five minutes passed. I’m waiting. Ten minutes passed. I’m waiting. Fifteen minutes, so it’s like what do I do next?”
Dallas Police said the call came in at 9:48 p.m. and was a Priority 1 call. The year-to-date average for officers to respond to Priority 1 calls is 11 minutes and 45 seconds. DPD said officers arrived 10 minutes after the call at 9:58 p.m., but the man was already gone.
“I’m waiting on my division to respond that’s 15 minutes away when there’s a station that’s in walking distance,” said the resident.
DPD said its first available unit from that division responded, which the resident understood, but wishes more could have been done.
“When it’s something that’s truly urgent, you would hope those division lines would disappear and whomever is close to you will come to your aid,” the resident said. “They let me know they’re doing the best they can which I truly believe, right? It’s not just solely on the police officers to help protect the city.”
In the past, the South Dallas woman said she contacted 311, her City Councilman Adam Bazaldua and Oncor to see about adding LED lights to help deter crime.
“That again helps the police officers take some stress off,” the resident said. “It’s just kind of disappointing to know that my street and other surrounding streets are spots criminals are comfortable going to because they’re not well patrolled. They’re not well monitored.”
“All Dallasites should feel safe in their community, let alone their own home. Events like this that challenge that narrative are inexcusable to occur in any community. In addition to forwarding the communication and concern to DPD leadership, I have also requested that there be more of a priority made in preventative patrolling in and around South Dallas especially where we have examples of criminal activity occurring such as this," Bazaldua said in a statement.
"The city of Dallas along with DPD remain committed to public safety, and prioritizing quality of life for all Dallas residents and will work diligently to address the spike in crime here in South Dallas and all other hotspots that we have identified throughout our city,” he added.
DPD said the department has also added more bike units and marked patrols to the area.
“In an African American community, you want to have the same protections and surveillance that other communities have. Me and my neighbors, I know we’ve been waiting on it. We’ve been asking for it. We deserve it," said the resident.
It is a hope that the wait is over, so fear goes away.
DPD said residents should always reach out if a crime is committed.
"We need to know if a crime has been committed. Reporting helps us to pinpoint where crimes are being committed, and if needed, we can make adjustments to patrol and our crime plan. We need the public’s help to fight and prevent crime. If you see or hear something, say something. Do not let a crime go unreported,” said DPD Senior Public Information Officer Jesse Carr.