Okay, okay. Someone wants us to be scared, very scared.
One local political mailman who came to our house declared in all caps, “The bottom of your vote is our last line of defense!” A faceless shadowy figure wearing a hoodie and jeans indicates danger. Another mailer announces, again in all caps, that Dallas has become a “criminal haven.”
Well, damn. I have lived in Dallas for 35 years. How come I didn’t notice?
These ads annoy me. Mailers and associated TV ads are highly manipulated, as are other social media algorithms. Their tone is consistent with the rhetoric of some national candidates on the November ballot. Call it “Dallas Carnage.”
opinion
One logical outcome of these ads could be residents becoming too scared to leave their homes or fleeing Dallas altogether. At the very least, they will distract potential voters from reading the fine print on the three Dallas Charter proposals on the November ballot or evaluating the judicial candidates individually. Advertising encourages impulsive choices rather than thoughtful voting.
As campaign strategists have long understood, fear can be upsetting and motivating, but no politician or political movement worth its salt offers fear as its sole message. Consider President Barack Obama in his second term and the “audacity of hope.” Consider President Ronald Reagan, who won a second term in a landslide, and his vision of a “shining city on a hill.” Campaigns that amplify fear typically produce bad public policy and reward candidates who say tough things but are underqualified for the office they seek.
Fear-mongering political ads always arouse my suspicions. Why do these ads badmouth Dallas? Who wants to scare me and why? Even if Mailer’s claims were true, would the proposed solution be practical, wise, and effective?
The answer to that last question is an emphatic, all-caps “NO!” Dallas’ proposals S, T, and U are like mowing your garden with a flamethrower. Sure, the grass will be shorter after that, but there’s a good chance your house, fence, and even your neighbor’s house will burn down.
The first proposal would allow residents to sue Dallas and recover legal costs if they feel it violates an ordinance, part of the charter, or state law. (Decades ago, conservative Texas politicians would have led the opposition to this proposal.)
The second proposal would involve a survey of the unelected 0.1% of Dallas residents (1,400 out of 1,304,379) to determine performance-based salaries and continued employment for city managers.
The final proposal is unrealistic and clumsily worded. The bill would require Dallas to employ at least 4,000 sworn police officers (the department currently has about 3,100) and to spend at least half of their annual revenue on police and fire pensions. The problem is that there are fewer than 4,000 people who want or are qualified to become Dallas police officers. Search for “Dallas Police Department” on Google. When you click “Join DPD,” you’ll see that even though the department is constantly recruiting nationally and nationally, there are still shortages.
Dallas is not alone in this situation. Many U.S. cities are struggling to fill public safety positions. Dallas is the 9th largest city in the United States and has the 9th largest police department, so we operate much like our peers.
Finally, a word to those who believe that having more law enforcement officers automatically makes us safer: Uvalde.
Whatever the content of these emails, violent crime in Dallas is significantly worse than it has been in the past. In 1990, 447 murders were recorded in the city. Murder numbers in Dallas reached 500 in 1991.
Last year there were 246 murders. That’s 246 too many, but thankfully it’s hundreds less than in the terrible days of the crack epidemic.
Public safety does not begin and end with the police. Loitering and aggressive dogs should be handled by well-equipped, well-trained, well-paid animal control officers. Late weekend hours at recreation centers can keep teens away from spending time in gas station parking lots or fast food restaurants. The ballot proposal could divert resources away from these services.
If you want to see carnage, drive the roads of North Texas. Vehicle accidents cause injuries and deaths every day, and the amount of damage to public and private property takes a huge toll on individual and local government budgets. The problem of erratic driving extends far beyond city limits, but 205 people died in crashes in Dallas in 2023, according to the Texas Department of Transportation.
Having more police officers involved in traffic enforcement is not the only way to combat the problem. The red light camera was activated. (I should know: I got two red-light tickets in a month after my son started a new school far from home. I paid the money and slowed down.) In Dallas. Anyone concerned about public safety should contact their Texas legislators and ask them why. They have outlawed this effective and relatively inexpensive public safety tool.
When faced with something scary, instinct usually takes over. But there is another option: think. Quickly run through possible scenarios to ensure you don’t end up facing something worse with your chosen action.
If you need to mow your garden and the only tool you have on hand is a flamethrower, let the grass grow a little longer until you find a better, less destructive tool.
Jennifer Nagorka is a freelance writer living in Dallas.
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