DALLAS — The Dallas Police Department will soon mandate that residents report a slew of low-priority calls online instead of by calling 911 in hopes of freeing more officers for serious crimes.
The requirement, effective July 3, comes as police response times continue to climb, challenging the department as staffing shortages worsen and calls for service increase. Mandatory online reporting aims to reduce the time it takes police to reach high-priority calls, as well as lessen officers’ workloads, Chief Eddie García said Tuesday.
“We have to think about our men and women and the stress that they’re under and the constant calls,” García said during a news conference. “We have to make the working conditions of our men and women better and, at the same time, not sacrifice the service for our community — and I think this achieves that.”
