DALLAS — Dallas police Chief David Kunkle, who is retiring this month, left the City Council with some good news Monday.
Speaking at the Council's Public Safety Committee meeting, he forecast that if current trends continue, the city's overall crime rate could drop up to 10 percent this year.
Crime dropped 6.4 percent last year, but there is some concern that the police department can maintain that momentum.
After the first quarter of 2010, Kunkle predicted the trend of sharply dropping crime the past few years will continue. "Police management thinks we'll have five to 10 percent or better by the end of the year," he said.
Kunkle believes last year's homicide count of 166 murders, the lowest in decades, will drop further in 2010.
Drug cases are also down.
Kunkle credits the City Council with adding nearly 700 officers over the past five years and quickly analyzing crime as positive causes.
"We've invested a lot of money in technology so we can better deploy our officers in response to crime trends," the chief said.
Council members considered his forecast great news, although some — like Delia Jasso — expressed concern about keeping up the momentum. "I just want to make sure we're not getting complacent, and that our citizens are not getting complacent," she said.
Kunkle readies for retirement knowing that he met one of the Council's top priorities since 2007: Removing Dallas' distinction as the city of over a million people with the nation's highest crime rate.
But while Kunkle predicts another crime drop, he won't say whether Dallas will top that dreaded list again by the end of the year.
"I don't know. You know the highest crime cities in the United States are Texas cities," he said.
Of course, Kunkle won't be wearing the chief's badge at the end of year. That's why the council and City Manager Mary Suhm, who will hire the next chief, know how important a smooth transition to his successor will be.
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